Fortunatus
by timebomb
Summary: Yay, the 4th chapter, finally!// Hitomi’s life runs serious danger now. Kuaru has his mind made up. A strange dream of Serena comes to Hitomi as they are both engulfed by fire and a life has already been taken..// ok, yes, I suck at summaries… R/R!
1. Change is Inevitable

Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or any of its characters . . . DARN!  
  
- - - Overture - - -   
Blue light surrounded her; it was warm. She was gently put down on the ground, blue flames rising as she touched it. She found herself in the backyard of her house.  
As she walked in, she saw her mother putting away some newly-washed dishes. Her brother, having seen her walk in, dropped the spoon he was about to put in his mouth, making her mother turn around and see her.  
"Hitomi?"  
"Okasa!"  
  
She went back to school two days later and Yukari was more than happy to see her. Yukari and Amano remembered it all - the light, the boy, the dragon, but most of all, how she was taken away.   
"What happened Hitomi?" Yukari asked her that day as they were walking toward the train station after school.  
"Uh?" She hadn't been paying attention.  
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked"  
"No, it's ok. You're one of the few people who would believe me"  
  
Hitomi told Yukari everything that afternoon, she didn't leave out a single detail, not even the fact that she knew Yukari loved Amano. Yukari had blushed at that.   
The next day, after Amano had asked, she told him everything too.   
Yukari expressed her feelings toward him, and he, in turn, expressed his towards her. However, a week after Hitomi returned, Amano left to study abroad as he was meant to.   
Hitomi remembered all this while starring out the window of her classroom.  
"Kanzaki!"  
"Hai! Sorry."  
"Pay attention!"  
  
· ´ ¨* ·. ¸ ¸.**. ¸ ¸. ·* ¨` ·   
  
"Ehhhh! The sensei didn't have to give me detention. I mean, you have to admit it hasn't been happening as often as before. . ." Hitomi continued complaining. Yukari was awfully quite today. Something had obviously been bothering her all day. Hitomi pretended not to notice, figuring that when Yukari wanted to tell her she would.  
"Hitomi?"  
"Hai?"  
"Do you miss him?" Yukari asked; they were almost at the train station. "I just want to know... I've been thinking about breaking up with Amano because of the distance between us... but everything's been going so well, and it would be selfish of me to do so if... if you can still have feelings for Van when..."  
"Yukari... Van and I... It's been about two years since I've returned, but we haven't been in contact for over a year now." She was half between tears while saying that. "If you still love Amano and things are going well, I see no reason why you should dump him."  
  
  
  
  
  
· ´` ·.(* ·. ¸(` ·. ¸ ¸. · ´) ¸. ·*). · ´` ·   
· ´ ¨* ·. ¸ ¸.*Change is Inevitable*. ¸ ¸. ·* ¨` ·   
· ´` ·.( ¸. · ´( ¸. ·* * ·. ¸)` ·. ¸). · ´` ·  
  
"Physics," she said, "Arghhh... just what I needed." She let out a long sigh and closed the book, deciding not to do the homework.   
She looked around in her room. Everything was so empty, so still. She got up from her bed and went to her window. She looked out at the stars.  
"Where could you be?" she asked as if playing a game of Where's Waldo. "I miss you, Van."   
  
· ´ ¨* ·. ¸ ¸.**. ¸ ¸. ·* ¨` ·   
  
He overlooked the buildings while flying high above them. Some of the people were still uncomfortable with this, but he didn't care. It was only the only way to really be able to watch his country's progression.  
After helping some of the townsfolk he returned to Fanelia Castle.  
"Master Van!" Merle yelled out. "You're late! Kioyi and the rest of the high council are literally leaving themselves bald from pulling their hair out..." Merle kept yapping on and on as she was pushing Van out of the room while he was trying to put a clean shirt on "...Well, Kioyi already has no hair, but he's gonna blow up if you don't show up soon!" They had reached the high-council chamber door and Merle stopped and looked at Van. His eyes only confirmed everything she already knew.   
"I know you don't want to go in there, Master Van, and you don't have to if you don't want to."  
"I have to, it's not a question of will"  
"Baka." she said under her breath.  
"What?"  
"Uy!" she realized he had heard her. "Nothing... If you say so!" She gave Van a hug and ran off.  
"She scares me sometimes." Van muttered to himself. He sighed, then he turned around and sighed once more before pushing the door open.  
  
"I don't know why you don't understand, Lord Van!" Kioyi said "We only want what's best for you and Fanelia."  
"I know that, thank you." the meeting, which was meant to be a short one, had been going on for more than three hours now.  
"Then why do you continue to put down meeting, dinners, dances, etc. with your could-be wives?!" Leo demanded. He was obviously at the peek of a nervous breakdown.   
"Lord Van," a chubby member of the council said, he appeared to be the only calm one, "we have arranged a meeting with Princess Aliz of Egzardia..."  
"And it wasn't easy to do... FOR THE FIFTH TIME." Kioyi was all of a sudden out of breath. Now Van didn't know if it was Kioyi or Leo who would have the breakdown.  
"I'll think about it." He replied calmly. This conversation was obviously not affecting him. Van got up from his seat, opened the door to head out and began to walk out.  
"Wha... wha..."  
He closed the door, leaving Leo half-worded. He leaned against the door for a while and sighed with relief.  
"If Vargas was here, he would have made my point clear to them a long time ago," Van said softly to himself.  
The breeze went in through one of the windows down the wooden hallway, messing up a bit of Van's hair.   
"The only thing I don't need to worry about is a war with Zaibach," he said, making himself laugh.  
  
· ´ ¨* ·. ¸ ¸.**. ¸ ¸. ·* ¨` ·  
  
Zaibach, the perfect example of a country completely destroyed by war because of its insatiable thirst for power. However, not all things are destroyed, and sometimes, for some reason, the things that should have been are overlooked.  
"The mistakes of the past, will not be repeated," a deep voice said, putting down a glass of vino.  
"The machines are ready for inspection, Lord Paruchi."  
"Thank you. You may leave."  
They waited until the young sorcerer left the room to continue their discussion. Paruchi looked at his partner for a while, "Do you think it'll work this time, Kuaru?"  
"If we get rid of the unwanted elements, yes"  
Paruchi smiled serenely, "All in due time, we'll have to inspect these new machines first." They got up and walked out of the room toward the fate alteration chamber to inspect the new machines... and to test the old ones.  
  
· ´ ¨* ·. ¸ ¸.**. ¸ ¸. ·* ¨` ·   
  
Hitomi yawned, she was tired and had decided to do the physics homework after all. She walked sleepily towards her bed and crashed on it. I better get an A+, she thought to herself, eyes still open. Then she began to close them slowly until she was in a deep sleep. . .  
She found herself knelt down on a piece of land with bits of grass on it. Her hands were made fists on her lap. She had something in her right hand. Hitomi turned her fist upwards and opened it, revealing her pink pendant which she had given to Van.  
"Why do I have this?"   
The pendant began to glow, pulsating light with every second. Somehow she found herself looking at herself knelt down on the ground, the pendant in hand, and Van standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders. She wasn't surprised. The pendant had the power to do these kinds of things. He was looking down at her, not saying a word.   
"Van!", Hitomi yelled out. She was ecstatic to have had a link between them again. But he couldn't hear her, and she could still see herself sitting motionlessly, one armed raised with the pendant in front of her.   
"I'm sorry Hitomi," he said softly, "I didn't mean to make you cry." Van turned around and started to walk away from her.   
No, she thought, don't leave me, Van.  
Having said that, she now found herself starring at the pendant in her hand again. She stood up quickly to run after him, "Van! Don't go. . .," he wasn't there anymore. The fields around her showed no trace of him... it was like as if he had never really been there.   
A single tear began to form in her eye. When it began to fall, she was, all of a sudden, outside of her body again, watching in slow motion how the tear fell from her motionless cheek and fall in mid air. It kept falling, and it with every inch that it was closer to ground, the more away from Van Hitomi felt. The tear finally reached something, but it wasn't the ground. The tear slowly became one with a body of water, making ripples as it landed. Hitomi saw the tear land one time, then she saw it land again, and again, and again until the process stopped and she her body floating over the water. Her feet were only a few centimeters away from it. Hitomi's body began to sink in, motionless, and she saw herself being dragged into the darkness of the bottom of this water. Then, she saw the tear fall into the water again and she woke up.  
She gasped for air. "It was only a dream," she said to herself. "Only a very bad dream." She was still gasping.   
The light breeze came inside her room, caressing her hair. It felt like Van trying to comfort her, but she knew it wasn't.  
She hid her face in her knees and began to cry, she should have done that a long time ago. She didn't understand why Van would leave her, but she settled with the thought that he didn't feel the way she felt about him anymore. So she went back to sleep, some tears still falling from her eyes, but determined to get over him the way he appeared to be over her in the dream.  
  
· ´ ¨* ·. ¸ ¸.**. ¸ ¸. ·* ¨` ·   
  
After many, many observations, Kuaru and Paruchi went over all the necessary precautions (if any) with their head-of-construction, Gout, for the new machines.  
"Using the designs you've given us, we were able to reconstruct the fate-alteration engine and it's components."  
"And the new components?"  
"They are ready for testing, Lord Kuaru."  
"Ahhh," sighed Paruchi, "the testings. Have anything in mind, Kuaru?"  
Kuaru was silent for a while, looking at their wonderful new, and old, creations. They were both proud men, and pride was a dangerous thing in the hands of men like them. He laughed inwardly, remembering how some people would talk about Dornkirk's sorcerers after the war had ended.   
Imbeciles, he remembered a man at a market call the sorcerers. The only reason Garuto, Paruchi, Foruma, and him hadn't been captured or recognized was because they had to 'have a taste of their own chocolate' and alter their own fates by using the same experiments they had used on all those children. They changed their faces only, to prevent any side effects. However, this effect was only temporary and the luck ran out for Foruma one cold afternoon.   
A sorcerer! He remembered a woman yell. He could still hear Foruma's cries as they cut him, repeatedly. They never stabbed him though, they only scared his body with small knife cuts; they wanted him to live through pain and humiliation. Paruchi, Kuaru, and Garuto could only stand behind the crowd and watch as their friend, one of them, was humiliated, undressed, and paraded throughout the town square. They threw rotten food at him, the fertilizer a farmer was carrying to sell at his post. Foruma kept his eyes on the three of them when he was tied up to a poste, with dry wood all around him. The fires they lit began to burn and the scent of burning flesh reached Kuaru and the rest of them.  
Die! They all yelled. Die like the beast you are.  
Kuaru's cries grew louder as the stench got thicker. Pain most evidently shown in his face.   
  
"Kuaru?" Paruchi asked again, bringing him back to reality. "Do you have anything in mind?"  
Kuaru smiled, "As a matter of fact... I do."   
Paruchi had not been looking at Kuaru when he asked the second time; he himself was marveling at their creations. But the way Kuaru said that made his skin shiver. He looked back at Kuaru, as if trying to find in his face the feeling from which his hate came from. He turned away, agreeing with a small (yet senile) smile with whatever Kuaru had in mind.  
  
· ´ ¨* ·. ¸ ¸.**. ¸ ¸. ·* ¨` ·   
  
Tall, thin, pale looking, but happy. Allen looked at her in the gardens. He no longer pondered about the horrible nights she must have spent crying, or the pain she went through while they touched her; putting needles inside her, taking out blood, putting blood back in, reviving her when the experiments went wrong, and finally, when she was finally transformed and they were satisfied with the outcome.  
She looked over at Allen, who was now walking towards her. She smiled, a bundle of flowers in one hand while she pushed on the ground to stand up with the other.  
"You'll have to get into a dress soon. We're heading into the market in a short while. I have to pick up some equipment."  
"If you agree to take me to the graves, I'll agree to put on a dress. If not, you'll have to walk in shame down the streets of Asturia with me in pants."  
"Allright, agreed." He put his arm around her shoulders and they began to walk towards the house.  
"Serena?"  
"Yes?"  
"I got the better end of the deal."  
"And why is that?"  
"Because you'd never bring me shame."  
  
Allen had taken her to the graves before going to the market. The shop that supplied his weapons was about to close when they got there, but he didn't mind.   
  
They got back home from the markets quite late and she was tired. She couldn't wait to get out of her dress either.   
  
· ´ ¨* ·. ¸ ¸.**. ¸ ¸. ·* ¨` ·   
  
"Destiny Accelerator?!" A voice yelled out.  
"Check!"  
"Casualty Rate Detector?!"  
"Check!" Another voice responded.  
"Destiny Particle?!"  
"Check!" The voices continued  
"This is a great day for Zaibach, Paruchi." said Kurua.  
"Hai..." he said thoughtfully, "If it works."  
Kurua's evil smile returned to his face, "That's why we do testings first.  
Destiny Vibrator?! Yelled a voice in the backround  
Paruchi returned Kurua's smile with a bit more evil in it, "Dornkirk might have liked this."  
Check! The voice responded in the bakcround.  
"He... will be missed."  
Paruchi laughed in his throat, supporting the sarcasm in Kurua's comment.  
Fate Alteration Engine?!  
Check!  
  
She changed into her sleeping clothes, said good night to her brother and had laid down on her bed starring at her roof for a long time, until her eyes began to feel heavy. She'd never been this tired before. Her eyes began to fight to stay open, but she finally gave in and they began to close slowly. . .  
She was in a closed space, silver liquid surrounding her.   
Rage. Rage she had never felt before was festively dancing within her. There were screams of pain and hate all around her.  
Where am I? She thought. She looked out of the place she was in from the opening it had. She realized she was in a field tinted with blood; men all around her were dead or dying.  
"Die!" she heard someone yell from within the compartment she was in, but she couldn't see who it was. It was impossible for someone else to be in there with her, the place was too small.  
**crash** She had penetrated something hard and something appeared in front of the opening. She could see a man's face behind the all the metal he was hiding under. He was bleeding out of his eyes and mouth and cursed something at her.  
Whatever she was holding began to come out of the man and she realized it was sword. Her arm began to rise and it stopped for a while.  
"What am I doing?" she had tried to say out loud, but the words resonated in her thoughts.  
The rage began to dance inside her again; it felt right for some reason. The sword in her hands began to come down with a strength she didn't know she had, becoming stronger and stronger as it went down.   
"No." She yelled, terrified. "What am I doing?"  
"Die!" the voice yelled out again.  
"No! Stop!" She closed her eyes as tightly as she could and all the screams started to fade away, until she heard nothing. She was too afraid to open her eyes again so she kept them closed, wondering when (and if) it would be safe to open them again.  
"DIIIIIIIIIEEEE!!" the scream came back louder than ever before.  
Her hands went up to her ears and she sunk her face in her chest. The voice began to fade away like the screams and shouts had too, but it echoed and she had to wait for the echoes to go away.  
She heard a noise, kind of like when a switch is turned on. She opened her eyes and looked up.   
"Where am I?" She asked out loud. Besides the light that illuminated her there was nothing, it was pitch black all round her.  
A sound came straight ahead from her in a pattern. She decided it was the sounds of someone walking in a puddle... and waking towards her.   
As the steps continued to get louder, signifying it's closeness to her, she could see the ripples form in the water.  
She kept on starring as the steps got louder and louder. An image had begun to form, but she couldn't really see what it was; there's was no other light besides the one that illuminated her.   
Whoever had been walking towards her stopped about two meters away from her. She could tell it was a man by what she could make out from the darkness. They stared at each other for a while, both of them not moving an inch. Her in the light, and him in the darkness of her surroundings.  
There was another sound and a light illuminated him now. He was a bout her size, thin, obviously a soldier by the garments he was wearing, handsome, too pale though, and a mystifying scar on his right cheek. . .   
  
If Allen had heard Kuaru's laughter in the distance while they were leaving the gardens that afternoon; if he had heard the evil in it, he would have protected Serena this time....  
  
---- End of Chapter----  
  
Authors note: PLZ R/R, they really do help!! Nice flames help too... ^_^  



	2. Uncalled For

**Authors Note:** I don't own Escaflowne... yada yada yada. K, so after this chapter I might change the title of the story (all thanks to one of my friends who's a perfectionist or something and thinks the title of the story isn't good). I don't know what I'll change it to though... so if you wanna suggest anything it'd be great. This chapter's REALLY loooong and there's a part where the scenes keep changing from Van to Hitomi, so you gotta read carefully. K? Now.. ONWARD!  
  
  
  


· '` ·.(* ·. ,(` ·. , ,. · ') ,. ·*). · '` · 

· ' "* ·. , ,.*Uncalled For*. , ,. ·* "` · 

· '` ·.( ,. · '( ,. ·* * ·. ,)` ·. ,). · '` ·

It had been about a week now since that guy had started appearing in her dreams. It wasn't always the same dream though. Sometimes they would both simply be in that dark place; in the nothingness of somewhere. Other times the dream was only a never ending battle, and sometimes, the dream would only be about him. 

He would be laying down somewhere with things sticking into his arms, a strange liquid in them. He seemed terrified and he screamed and yelled out names she was not familiar with. There was nothing she could do though, she could only watch him. She could only hope for his pain to go away.

Dryden was having supper with them that night, and because he was drunk, it seemed he would also have to be their guest for the night. He was giving Allen another lecture on draconian myths and legends... _boooring_, she thought. 

As much as she tried, she couldn't pay attention to him. Her focus was on the glass of vino in front of her and on the reflection of that boy in it. His eyes were staring deeply into hers, both menacing and compationate at the same time. The expression on his face hadn't changed the whole time they both stared at each other, except for when his mouth began to the form of what seemed like a smile. 

She gasped, it was the first time he had done this. She wasn't surprised at that though. She began to see the purple vino start to change into a dark red colour, almost black, inside the glass. She couldn't stop staring at him... and his smile.

"Serena? You look quite pale," Dryden said, taking a sip out of his own glass. Serena looked up at him when he said this, a little embarrassed, but still frightened.

"I find that hard to believe, considering I'm already deadly pale," she added with humour.

Dryden laughed, a drunk mans laugh, no less, but Allen didn't. 

"I think you should go rest," he said, giving her a serious look. Her eyes opened wide at those words. She, for one, knew it would be better if she didn't, but she couldn't say that to him. She'd have to give him and excuse, and that meant telling him about her dreams. He'd find it ridiculous.

She got up from her chair and attempted to make a yawn. I am such a bad actress, she thought. "Yes, you're right," she said, talking to Allen,"I do feel quite tired. Good night Allen. Dryden."

Serena walked out of the room, back straight and head high, her last attempt to hide the fact that she was terrified of being alone anywhere in the house now.

She was, indeed, a bad actress.  
  


· '` ·.( ,. · '( ,. ·* * ·. ,)` ·. ,). · '` ·

The testings had all worked out perfectly. Going into people minds resulted to be quite easy. Serena Schezar's testing, their first, proved to be exceptionally simple.

Kuauru was sitting up high in the throne Dornkirk use to sit in. His entire attention was on the Fate-Predicting Device. Paruchi stood on a pulpit with 7 more sorcerers looking down on the Fate Alteration Engine. They were both trying to see into a someone's fate.

Kuaru banged his fist against the throne's arm-rests,"Black, it's all black. I can't see anything!"

"His fate is unclear here too," a voice said in the pulpit where Paruchi was standing.

"Agreed," the other sorcerers in the pulpit said in unison. However, Kuaru didn't hear Paruchi's voice amongst the others.

"Paruchi? What do you see?"

"Two paths. One is covered by mist, the other... I cannot see."

"Aaaah... I see it now," Kuaru said with some difficulty, "This is quite unusual. Two paths..." His eyes were still for a moment on the image of the dragon and these paths. _What do they mean?_ He thought.

"Kuaru," Paruchi said, as if reading his thoughts, "we can't take our chances this time."

"I know that. It will begin today!" Kuaru's shout made everyone turn to look at him. He looked down on them too, his breathing was hard, almost uncontrollable. His hate was visible in his eyes. "The day of Zaibach's revenge begins today! We will not fall like we did two years ago! We will revive the power of Atlantis in Gaea, no matter what!"

Kuaru gave the order and everyone was in their positions to begin another fate alteration using the new machines. 

"The shadow of the dragon will not fall on Zaibach again," Kuaru whispered to himself,"The mistakes of the past won't be repeated."

Machines ready! A voice yelled in the backround. 

The machines began to turn again like they did when they first started the testings. However, no testings were being done this time. The Fate Alteration Engine turned along with the Self-Fate Alterator. Their colours changed from a blue to a pinkish-purple as they both turned faster and faster with each second. They were spinning for the fate of a young Fanelian king..  
  


· '` ·.( ,. · '( ,. ·* * ·. ,)` ·. ,). · '` ·  
  


Van was in his bed sleeping after another long day. His peaceful sleep was disrupted when everything went pitch black in his dreams except for the light illuminating him. He tried to move, but he couldn't. He could only stand there with the light. _Where am I?_, he thought.

As soon as he said that another light appeared, illuminating something about 6 meters away from him. The light illuminating him began to move towards the other light, allowing him to move freely now. 

He walked with the light until it stopped about 2 meters away from the second light. 

Now he could see what the second light was illuminating. It was a girl knelt down on the floor with her back towards him. She wore a strange, dark shirt and her "boots" were white. She was obviously wearing a short skirt, and her hair was a hazelish-dirty blonde. He knew her.

"Hitomi!" he yelled, but she didn't respond. He was somewhat taken aback by this, so he tried again. In a way, praying that it was her, "Hitomi?"

The girl began to stand up and turning around as she did so. Everything about her began to change as she turned around. Her hair became a dark brown and grew down to her back. Her clothes became a single dress that wasn't dark anymore but a pale purple and she seemed a bit taller too. 

"I'm not Hitomi," she said softly. Her eyes stared into his and her she began to walk toward him until they were both together under the same light. Then, without notice, she put her arms around him. 

He was surprised, but it felt right. Her embrace was warn, and so, he hugged her back, embracing her in his arms with the same warmth she hugged him with.

*swing* 

His eyes opened wide when he saw Hitomi's pendant in his thoughts. _It can't be_, he thought, his arms still around this girl. He looked towards where the pendant had pointed and he saw another girl.

Her eyes were a shade of green, she had a short, dark skirt on, and she had white "boots." This time, it was definitely Hitomi.

She wasn't looking at Van and this girl though, she seemed to be somewhere else, not in the darkness where he was. She was walking away from him as she laughed... He missed that laugh.

He let go of the girl he was holding and tried to catch up to Hitomi, but the light wouldn't let him. He could only look at her as she began to fade away in a mist. As she disappeared, the only thing that remained was the soft sound of her laughter, and he found himself alone again in the darkness, with only a light to shine down on him.  
  


· '` ·.( ,. · '( ,. ·* * ·. ,)` ·. ,). · '` ·  
  


"No!"

The scream could be heard in the whole Fate Alteration chamber. It came from Kuaru when he saw the two uncertain elements in the Self-Fate Alterator.

"There is a disturbance in the engines, Paruchi-sama," a young sorcerer said in the pulpit.

Paruchi looked over at Kuaru who seemed as unpleased as he was. They both walked down from where they were, leaving everyone puzzled as to why they would leave now. The went into the room where they would decide on the fate they chose for their "chosen one."

"Something will have to be done, Paruchi. The Destiny Predicting Device was not expecting to see the shadow of the girl again."

Kuaru sat down in his chair, one hand up to his chin in a deep thought.

"I know, Paruchi. Something drastic."

Paruchi laughed at that, "Since when has is not been drastic?" Kuaru returned his grin but then looked away, deep in thought again. 

After a while of just sitting there, Kuaru's worried face went away and he settled down in his chair with a pleased look in his face. A serving man poured some vino into his glass when he snapped his finger giving that order. Paruchi stared at him.

"I know what you're thinking," Kuaru said to Paruchi. "You've been thinking it since you saw the uncertain elements. And if you ask me, the Goulor don't sound like such a bad idea."

Paruchi wasn't surprised. It was only obvious that Kuaru would know him so well after they had spent most of their lives together. They both left the room and went back to the Fate Alteration chamber where they would call on the Goulor, who would later then get rid of one of the uncertain elements... Hitomi Kanzaki.   
  


· '` ·.( ,. · '( ,. ·* * ·. ,)` ·. ,). · '` ·  
  


The next morning, Van was sitting on the ledge of his window thinking about the dream he had the night before. When he saw Hitomi she seemed to be so happy. He was glad about this, but it also made him think hard about what he was about to do. 

_It's not a big deal_, he was thinking while looking down on his country, _I'll only meet her_.

*knock, knock*

"Come in."

Kioyi opened the door slowly. "Lord Van, you called?"

"Yes." He thought again for a moment, trying to decided whether or not to say it, but alas, he gave in. "Arrange a meeting between Princess Aliz of Egzardia and myself."

Kioyi's expression was that of great surprise, it looked like as if he was about to faint.

"Yes sir." 

Then he ran out the door, forgetting to close it. Van only sighed and got up from where he was sitting to close the door.

"What am I doing?" He asked himself, hoping that some voice would answer him, but no one did. He was left with his question unanswered.

He went back to the window and looked out, he needed something to take his mind off of what he had done. He decided that going out to help some of the merchants would do the trick and so he left his room and walked down the wooden hallways in his castle to go out into the city. Hoping that maybe, if he could forget for a while, it would all be alright.  
  


Later that day, Van closed the door to his chambers and leaned on it for a while. Finally, he thought, some rest. He hadn't been able to go out of the castle and help out as he thought he would for he was stopped by Leo who needed him to look over some construction plans for the east side of the city. 

He walked over to the desk in the middle of his room where he kept some papers and documents. He also kept a box on the table; it's borders were made out of gold and the rest of the box was simple dark wood with a couple varnish coatings on it. 

He put his fingers on the box softly and looked at the papers surrounding it; there were so many of them. He then sighed and looked out at the night sky from his window, when all of a sudden there was a soft knock at his door.

"Come in," Van said.

He heard the door open quietly and close just the same. Van was waiting for a soldier or servant to speak after the door opened, but having not heard anything after a few seconds he turned around abruptly with is right hand on his sword.

"It's only me," Merle said softly.

"Since when do you knock?" he asked teasingly. She didn't smile, she simply stayed by the door.

"I heard about your... decision," she said, barely being able to say the last word. Van's expression changed after she said that. He looked down at the ground and she stepped closer to him. "Is it true, Master Van?"

"Yes."

"Bakero!" She yelled. 

Merle's hand tingled on Van's cheek after she said that. He didn't even see it come.

"You know just as well as I do that _that_ princess won't make you happy... even if it's just a meeting. She's not meant for you!"

Van's expression didn't change. He did know, just as well as she did, that it was true. 

"Nothing's meant for anything, Merle," he said, denying his feelings.

"Well then they should be!" she turned around and ran out of the room, except she didn't close the door so gently that time.  
  


· '` ·.( ,. · '( ,. ·* * ·. ,)` ·. ,). · '` ·  
  


Merle ran down the hallways with tears in her face. She had never hit Master Van before, she didn't understand why she had done it either.

When she was out in the fields she sat down in the middle of the tall grass and looked up at the stars and the Mystic Moon.

"Humans make themselves so unhappy," she said out loud, still looking at the night sky. "I don't understand them. They want to be happy, but make themselves miserable in the process.... BAH!"

Her stomach didn't feel quite right all of a sudden. She thought it might be because she needed to go back and apologize to Master Van. She got up and a star twinkled for her. _Maybe_, she thought, _I should let Master Van do what he pleases with his life_. She began to run back to the castle, her stomach was still feeling weird. _Na_, she thought while she was still running, _he so needs me._  
  


· '` ·.( ,. · '( ,. ·* * ·. ,)` ·. ,). · '` ·  
  


"It's getting late! We should start heading home, Hitomi!" Yukari yelled to her from one side of the track field realizing it was 7:00pm.

"It's alright! I want to practice some more. You can head home, you have that science test tomorrow!" Hitomi yelled back.

"Call me when you get home then. Ok?!"

"Ok, bye!"

"Bye."

As Yukari picked up her things Hitomi still kept on running. _One day she's gonna kill herself_, she thought.   
  


It had begun to rain and he was still going through documents in his desk. He put one hand on his cheek to support his sleepy head, but the slap Merle had given him earlier left a bruise which still hurt.

He sighed when he realized how tired he was. He leaned back on his chair and looked up at his roof where he had ordered a painting of the Mystic Moon to be made.

He closed his eyes, going back to the night when Merle, Hitomi, and him hid in the forest after Dilandau had attacked Asturia. He had lain beside her and he had told her about his family¹. He trusted her. 

His mind, then, wondered off to the last time he saw her. 

_I want to see that happen with you_, she had said, talking about the rebuilding of Fanelia. She'd given him her pendant too, the one he had kept in the wooden and gold box at the edge of his desk for the past year. 

He opened his eyes then, and looked back down at the pile of papers.  
  


8:00pm

"Just one more," Hitomi said to herself, getting in her "ready" position.

Staying in that position for too long made her think about that moment, one warm night in May when she had first seen him, and when she was taken with him. . .

"Stay focused!" she said to herself, and then she began to count. "Ready... set...go!" She leapt up and her right leg moved forward, almost in a leap. 

Left, right, left, right. She was running fast. _Come on Hitomi_, she thought to herself,_ you can do better than this._

**he he he he he**

She had been forced to stop running, almost tripping and pulling a muscle. _What was that?_ Something had run across the track, making what seemed, like a tiny laugh. Her intuition began to tell her to leave, and being the person that she is, she listened to it. She began to walk back to the stands where she had left her bag and books. When she reached the stand where they were she bent down to get her bag and something fell on her nose.

"Great," she said out loud,"now it rains."

She bent back down to get her bag and she heard the same small laugh. She looked up, then she looked behind her, and at her sides but no one was there... until she turned around and saw a small, grey skinned midget with a smile on his face standing on her bag and looking straight at her. His belly and head were quite round but his legs and arms were thin. His nose was too long, his eyes were yellow, and it had the most crooked teeth Hitomi had ever seen. His ears were even pointier than Merle's.

She stood in front of him, shocked for a moment, but then she got used to him. 

"Hello," he said. His voice was squeaky and he tilted his head to the sides when he talked.

"Hi," she replied. "What's your name?"

"What's _your_ name?"

Hitomi laughed. He was cute and quite coy. "You're cute, but I asked you first."

"I asked you too."

It seemed like this "person/thing" was going into a game... 

"But I asked you first."

The creature didn't reply that time, it just stared at her and suddenly his eyes turned black as night and he began to scream and shout and he banged his feet against the ground, which, Hitomi hadn't noticed before, looked like claws.

Hitomi made a dive for her bag, accidently throwing the creature over. She turned around and began to walk away but she bumped into something. It was another one of those "men," it was exactly like the one who was still throwing a fit behind her.

"_What_ is your name?" it demanded. Suddenly, more and more little men began to appear all around her. She was scared and confused. She started to walk faster and faster away from them but they kept on following her, demanding that she tell them her name. 

"Hitomi!" she yelled out. "Hitomi Kanzaki!" Then there was silence from all of them, until they all started to make that small little laugh and their eyes began to turn red. 

As they continued their laugh they began to walk slowly towards her. A red liquid began to gush out of their eyes, a red the same colour their eyes were; the same colour as blood. 

"Hitomi Kanzaki," they all said in unison, "only your phasma will survive."

Hitomi started to run towards the school buildings. Stupidly, she wouldn't let go of her bag.  
  


His eyes drooped down for the thousandth time that night. He gave himself a couple of bangs on the head to wake himself up a bit.

"Stay focused," he told himself.

*swing* the pendant had swung in his mind again.

He opened his eyes, surprised at what had just happened. The pendant in his thoughts had swung towards a place in his desk; towards the box.

"It can't be," he said to himself, reluctant to believe what had just happened. 

He reached towards the box with both his hands and pulled it towards him. As soon as his fingers touched the box an image of Hitomi running with blood from injuries on her legs came to his head. His eyes opened wide after seeing that. He pulled the box towards him and opened it slowly. 

The pendant was just lying there, nothing exciting. He lowered his head to one side, smiling inwardly with relief. He grabbed the pendant and held it in front of him from it's gold string.

"You scared me there," he said to it.

*glow* 

The pendant, still being held by Van, was now shining, hurting his eyes a bit. It made a vibrating sound, demanding attention.  
  


No matter how fast she ran they always seemed to catch up to her. They hissed her name whenever they got close to her, that's when she knew she had to run faster. She would sometimes feel quick but sharp pains in her legs as if someone had sunk their nails into them and scratched down. One of them, she figured, had jumped and scratched her neck which was now bleeding. They're trying to slow me down, she thought.

Luckily, one of the doors of the school buildings wasn't locked and she ran in, closing and locking the door behind her. She ran up a few stairs that the door lead to, but she turned around to see where her opponents were. She saw them banging against the glass door, leaving blood all over it. She didn't plan on wasting any more time and continued to run up the stairs towards the second floor.

She could still hear the bangs of the small bodies smashing against the door, but they suddenly stopped, making her fear rise.

She ran into a classroom and opened one of the windows. Her plan was to jump out of it and ran as fast as she could afterwards. This is crazy, she thought to herself, but she didn't think twice about it when she saw one of their shadows on the floor.

When she touched the ground she put her bag in front of her, incase she tripped - which se did - to provide a less hurtful fall - which didn't work. Her body ached for a bit, but she had to get up and run. 

When she was finally on her feet she noticed that there was no way out of it. She was completely surrounded by them. One, smelling the blood on her legs, began to walk towards her, deliciously sniffing out the scent. When it got close to her she kicked it with all the strength she had left.

"Hitomi," one of them hissed while the other still tumbled on the ground.

Suddenly, they all began to walk towards the one that hissed her name and the strangest thing began to happen: they all began to shed their skin and as they did so they began to join as one, horrible looking creature. She couldn't move, she was terrified by watching this creature-in-the-making become bigger and more horrible as more of the small creatures shed their skin. Run!! she thought to herself and she started to run away a bit too late as there were only four creatures left to join the much larger one.  
  


Merle burst through the door hoping to find Van working on his papers. She'd brought a bottle of vino for him, knowing he'd be tired.

*crash*

Merle had dropped the bottle after seeing the pendant glowing, shattering it on the ground, but even that didn't seem to take Van's attention away from it. Merle walked carefully toward Van's side as to not step on the broken glass.

The pendant had never glowed this brightly before. It kept pulsating; growing a bit dim, then bright, then dim again, and then glowing brighter than the last time. Suddenly, the pendant's brightness burst, illuminating all of Van's room, making both him and Merle cover their faces to protect their eyes. 

Van got up and ran out of the room, pendant still in hand. He ran down hallways, stairs, rooms, and streets knocking down whatever and whoever got in his way.   
  


You have to run faster, Hitomi thought to herself. The ground began to shake violently and she realized that the new creature was now behind her. The steps it took were horrendously strong, which made Hitomi even more determined to not stop running despite how tired she was.

*Bang!* 

The creature had leapt from behind her and landed about 2 meters in front of her. She stopped running, seeing as there was no way she would be able to get away. 

This thing is horrible, she thought. It stood on four legs, although they were distinguishably a pair of legs and a pair of arms. It had absolutely no skin, it was all just bare flesh with veins popping out and bones for arms and what seemed like a human school for a head. 

"He, he, he, he," it chuckled, not in a squeaky voice though. This time its voice was deep and frightening. Although it only had a skull for a head it still had red, bloody eyes from which blood still teared. 

"Hitomi Kanzaki," it hissed in its deep voice, "only your phasma will survive."

It tilted its body back and laughed evilly. When it landed back down on his front legs/arms into its regular position it made the ground shake, making Hitomi nearly fall.

It crouched towards her, it's head/skull being less than a half meter away from her. It breathed on her, sending chills down her spine.

"No one to protect you," it said evilly, as if it was something good.

Hitomi didn't know what to do. She was so scared her body felt incredibly heavy and she felt like she would pass out at any second.

"W... what's your name?" she asked frightened. She had barely even managed to say that, being at the point of crying.

The blood in his eyes began to go down and the blood which teared had stopped flowing, revealing the darkest eyes Hitomi had ever seen. She could see her reflection in them.

"Only the dead," it said quietly,"know our name."

Hitomi looked straight into one of the creatures eyes (it was too large to be able to look into both of them), and she saw it: 

Two men, reading from a book in a dark room made a blue force of energy appear in the sky which turned green every time one of the small men descended from it. Each one landed in front of where the two men were. The small men's eyes were gushing with blood and a green substance fell from their mouth.

"Goulour," one of the men said, "we ask for a favour." This appeared to have confused them all. The blood stopped tearing, revealing black eyes, which then they turned yellow.

All of them, in unison, bowed down to the two humans once all their eyes had turned yellow. 

"Ask, and it will be done," the one closest to the humans had said.

"Hitomi Kanzaki," one of the humans said, "from the Mystic Moon."

The small men stood up, nodded in agreement and then jumped back up to the blue force in the sky.

Hitomi then found herself back in school grounds looking into the creatures black eyes.

"Goulour," she said.  
  


"I'm coming Hitomi!" Van yelled down the last street. He opened the door to the rebuilt temple and ran towards one of two shrines inside it where an energist was kept inside a small glass box.

He broke the glass with his sword and took the energist out. He ran towards a circle in the middle of the second shrine, the energist glowing in his hand as he ran. 

He lifted it up high, the energist still glowing. "Sleeping Dragon! I, Van Fanel, King of Fanelia, summon you again."

The spirals in the ground began to turn, opening and entrance in the ground. Van's breathing was hard in anticipation, anxious for Escaflowne to rise.

The metal giant looked better than ever, a spirit of war within it. Van ran towards it, put his hand on the energist's small compartment and made it glow. He then put the energist in and jumped inside Escaflowne.

The mechanisms spread out on his arms and legs, preparing for what was coming. Escaflowne began to walk , making the ground vibrate.

Merle ran into the temple. She was surprised when she saw Escaflowne.

"Master Van! Where are you going?!"

Van didn't respond, Escaflowne simply looked up at the night sky.

"The Mystic Moon?" she asked herself. 

Van took a step outside the temple and suddenly Escaflowne turned into the flying dragon. It soared high, frightening some of the people who were still out in the streets and merely surprised others - like Kioyi and the rest of the high council when it flew past the high council's meeting room.

The rain had already drenched Van. He could feel his heart in his throat and it felt like it would leave his chest. As he flew his eyes were stuck on the Mystic Moon. 

"I'm coming," he whispered.  
  


The creatures eyes looked confused at Hitomi. It's head rose up swiftly, making a sound as if it was gasping for air. It roared fiercely, then its eyes turned red again and blood now poured from them. It stared at Hitomi, not knowing what to do. Hate was written all over it's eyes, but Hitomi wasn't scared anymore.

The creature's skull came down at her, determined to rip Hitomi's body apart.

*flash*

Abruptly, the creature stopped moving toward her and looked, stunned, at what had appeared between it and Hitomi - a bright pillar of light and a dragon, made out of metal. Hitomi saw the creatures eyes turn even more evilly, but yet, it smiled at the same time in satisfaction of seeing this new opponent. 

The light disappeared and the metal dragon was left there. Hitomi, still stunned, couldn't take her eyes off the creatures eyes and the evilness inside them. 

"A protector," it said, its voice echoing.

"HITOMI!" someone yelled. She quickly looked towards where the voice came from.

"Van?"

"Hitomi, run!" he yelled and she began to run away until the thought of staying by Van's side crept in her mind and she could run no longer. When she turned around she didn't see the dragon but Escaflowne with its sword drawn.

"You?" it asked, "I don't want a machine." Van moved forward, slashed his sword into the creatures shoulder, making it roar from pain. The creature used its opposite arm and swung it, lifting Escaflowne several feet above the ground. After hitting it, it looked around desperately trying to find Hitomi. When it saw her it began to run towards her, but it stopped abruptly when Van slashed its foot with his sword. The creature roared in pain again and swung its arm to throw a blow at Escaflowne again. Van lifted up his sword with its sharp end in an intersecting angle with the creatures wrist.

It roared in horrible pain when the sword slashed through its wrist making it's bony and half flesh-covered hand fall to the ground. Van yelled in victory. The creature hissed at him, more blood pouring from its eyes.

It looked over at Hitomi and roared at her. Van's sword went up, ready to come down to throw another blow at its tail, but the creature leapt, taking such a flight that it landed behind Hitomi - quite far from where Escaflowne was standing.

Hitomi screamed in terror as the creature grabbed her with its remaining, enormous bony hand. It threatened to crush the life out of her, but it didn't.

A blue mist of force began to appear in the sky and th creature looked up at it. It then looked towards where Van was; he was running towards them. Van jumped to gain time, but the creature had already taken another leap, heading toward the mist of force.

He immediately turned Escaflowne into it's dragon form and took flight toward the creature. Van used the dragon's sword to cut through the creature's thigh. It immediately kicked the dragon with it's other leg, sending him a few feet down.

The dragon flew back towards the creature, positioning itself directly in front of it. 

"Hand her over!" Van yelled.

The creature replied with a roar, leaving Van with no choice but to slash it again with his sword. The creatures pain was evident as it roared furiously at another injured shoulder.

It looked at Hitomi for a moment, it's eyes looking for more blood. It's arm lifted her up and then, unmercifully, threw her down. It looked at the dragon and roared at it, then it took speed toward the blue mist, leaving Hitomi falling to he ground and Van with a stunned look on his face as he watched her fall.

"Vaaaaan!" Hitomi yelled as she fell.

"Hitomi!"

The dragon began to fly down, picking up speed with every second.

I won't reach her in time, he thought.

"Van!" he heard her yell again.

"Hitomi. NO!!"

The pendant on his chest glowed fiercely. Hitomi closed her eyes in terror, she didn't want to die now, but if she did, she was glad that the last thing she had seen was Van. In her mind she could picture Van with his wings spread out and his arms around her. They were both surrounded by a blue light. It was warm there. She wanted to stay there with him; in that warmth; in that light. 

"I want to stay here," she said to him in her thoughts, her eyes still closed; never realizing that she was, indeed, being carried away by a blue light in Van's arms.  
  


--------End of Chap. 2 -------  
  


¹ Episode 8 "The Day The Angel Flew"


	3. 

  
  
  
  


· '` ·.(* ·. ,(` ·. , ,. · ') ,. ·*). · '` · 

· ' "* ·. , ,.*Good Morning*. , ,. ·* "` · 

· '` ·.( ,. · '( ,. ·** ·. ,)` ·. ,). · '` ·  
  


The air was humid outside and the stars seemed to shine brighter. If she hadn't been so busy fighting for the last two hours she might have noticed them.

*clash*

The swords hit against each other. She spined, holding her sword with both her hands and directing it towards his chest. He easily blocked it.

She went forward at him, leaning in as she did so, yet keeping her feet firmly on the ground where she stood. He blocked again.

Her sword came up and then down with a strong thrust. She repeated that same move over and over, making him step back against the wall. Just when she though she had him, she leaned in to stab him but he quickly moved out of the way, sending her flying into the wall with her own weight.

She felt a strong thrust come down on her sword and she felt it slip out of her hands. She tried to keep her grip on it, but she failed. An arm then came around her neck and she felt something poke her in her back, somewhere around the kidneys. They both stood there like that for a while until her breathing calmed down a bit. She felt his arms loosen around her neck and then he completely backed away and moved to another side of the room. She bent over and placed her hands on her knees to try and catch her breath. She didn't know how long she had been fighting for.

"You let your own weight betray you," he said to her. She didn't reply, she just kept on breathing. Serena didn't like losing fights against her brother, but then again... she had never won.

She lifted her head to look at him standing in front of her - he hadn't even broken a sweat. She stood up straight and stared at him for a while. Her breathing was still a bit hard and she felt drops of sweat coming down her neck. He just looked back at her and smiled.

"I'm impressed," he said. "You almost had me against the wall."

Serena lowered her head, "That's not good enough." She waited for Allen to respond and maybe comfort her defeat, but he didn't. She began to hear a soft noise of something rustling and she looked over at him in curiosity, but it was only the noise of him putting his coat and gloves on.

"Where are you going?" she asked. Usually, they would fight another two rounds. She waited for a while for Allen to respond, but he didn't, so she began to ask again, "Allen..."

"I heard you," he interrupted. He paused to get his remaining glove on. "Serena," he continued "the reason why Dryden was here the other night was to tell me that I have been reassigned at Castelo Fort."

Serena's head shot up at those words. Asturia was the only home she'd ever known. In Asturia were the only friends she'd ever had (more like friend, Millerna was the only "high-life" person who didn't give her strange looks when she passed by). So many things flashed through her mind at that instant, but she realized she didn't really have a choice, she had to follow him wherever he went, she couldn't be selfish when it came to him. He would take care of her no matter what.

"I'll go," she said softly. "I won't have to wear a dress there half the time." 

Allen laughed at that, "No, you wouldn't."

"Good," she whispered. She turned her head towards the big window in the sparring room. She noticed now that it looked wet outside and that the stars seemed brighter. She walked over to the window, as if being drawn there by something almost more powerful than her. She looked out at the city of Palas and from where she was she could see that the outermost part of the city was almost fully rebuilt. 

"Why was it destroyed?" she asked Allen who was now sitting on a chair near the door while putting the swords they had used into their covers. The question didn't seem to surprise him, as he continued his labour without interruption to it. 

"Zaibach's army attacked," he responded.

"Oh! Yes, I'd forgotten you'd told me that before." 

There was a long silence after that, and the air around her suddenly turned cold as the breeze from outside came through the window. Allen hadn't bothered to look at her since the fight had finished... or maybe before that. The room didn't feel comfortable anymore. 

"Allen, if you don't mind, I think I'll go and rest now. I'm awfully tired."

"As you should be. The fight was long." He got up from the chair and began to walk out of the room, leaving her alone to put the swords away. "Good night," he said to her as he left and closed the door a bit.

Serena looked out at the window again. She thought she had seen something blue in the skies... She walked closer toward the window to see if she could see that flashing light again, but she didn't. She sighed then, thinking about her brothers response to her question. 

"I know you're lying to me about something," she said, meaning to say it to herself only, however, Allen was standing right outside the door and she had said it loud enough for him to hear. He put his head down and looked at the ground in shame. 

What kind of person would lie to his sister? A sister that had been missing for ten years. He had never told Serena about her mysterious past, the one he knew she pondered about often. He felt terrible about it, but how could he tell her? How could he say to her 'YOU destroyed the city of Palas' 'YOU killed hundreds of people' 'YOU were treated like an animal, like a nobody, for the sake of a mans thirst for control?' How could he say to her that no matter what kind of brave knight his reputation said about him, his worst fear was still her? The fear of not knowing whether or not she will stay like Serena for the rest of the day. He couldn't do that. Anyone in his position would do the same; anyone who'd ever loved anyone as much as he loved her would have asked everyone he knew to not mention anything about Serena's "involvement" in the great war. 

"I'm sorry, Serena," he whispered to himself and began to walk away from the door. He had to go discuss something with Dryden. She, on the other hand, didn't hear him apologize to her. She was busy looking out at the night sky, once again, something blue had caught her attention.  
  


· '` ·.( ,. · '( ,. ·** ·. ,)` ·. ,). · '` ·  
  


When sunrise came, the streets of Fanelia were already busy with people wanting to get to their posts in the market or with others who went out of their daily routine of spreading the daily gossip to tell everyone they knew about the blue light. Many, after hearing it recalled the warm afternoon, about two years ago, when all the fanelian people saw a blue light drop from the skies into the groves of the fanelian forest. Some watched in amazement, some waved good bye, and others yelled out thank you's as Hitomi, known as the girl from the Mystic Moon, was taken back to her planet.

Now, almost two years later on a rainy night, only some saw that same light appear from the skies once again, however, this time, while the rest of the country was sleeping.

"No! You're lying!" a fat lady in the market said in disbelief to another.

"Me? Lie? Bight your tongue! My Lihan told me so!" the other one responded.

The day, would indeed be a long one, especially for the guards in Fanelia Castle's gate who had to keep many people from trying to go in to ask anyone if the rumours of the light were true.   
  


*BANG*

Van's fist hit the table with a fury. "Hitomi will stay in Fanelia, under Fanelia's care as a guest. I don't care if the people are upset or afraid!"

"Sire," Leo said patiently "you have to understand why they're upset. Sure, they thank the girl for the help she gave Fanelia during the great war but that doesn't mean they want the girl..."

"She did play a big part in saving Gaea," Kioyi interrupted, choosing his words more carefully than Leo had, "and in saving Fanelia, for that matter, by saving your life so many times during the war as many of us have heard countless times, and for it we will be forever grateful to the girl..."

"Hitomi," Van interrupted sharply "her name is Hitomi."

"However, " Kioyi continued, paying no attention to Van "the war did start when she arrived and it ended a short time before she left. We know that it wasn't because of her that the war started, but not all the people in Fanelia do. We also know that there is no threat of another war with Zaibach, and yet again, the people don't. I, personally, will see to it that the people are correctly informed about the great war and as to how and why it started, but, I don't suggest that we let therumours about her coming back become facts."

Van stayed silent for a while, looking into Kioyi's eyes. He trusted the man. "Thank you," he finally said to Kioyi. "Now, this meeting is over." Van slowly began to get up from his chair when Leo spoke up,"One more thing," he said "Egzardia... the date for the meeting has been set."

Van's expression was obviously that of annoyance. "This meeting, is over," he repeated, looking directly into Leo's eyes with a menacing expression. 

He walked out of the room and closed the door. He went down a couple of hallways and up a few stairs to the room where Hitomi was being taken care of. When he turned the last corner, a serving lady accidentally bumped into him with a pile of heavy pillows in her hands.

"Sorry, your highness."

"It's alright," he said kindly to her despite the rage he was still feeling from his meeting with the high council. "How is she doing?" 

"The lady is still sleeping, Van-sama. The fever went down a little a couple of hours ago."

"Thank you," Van replied. The serving lady bowed and walked away with the pillows. Van walked into the empty room where Hitomi layed in a single bed, face down. He looked at her sleeping, breathing softly; her breath going at the same pace his heart was. Her hair seemed to have grown a bit, but there wasn't really a big difference in it, except for some lighter streaks she seemed to have grown in. She was obviously taller and she seemed so much more grown up. One of her bare legs dangled off the side of the bed and he could see the marks of the now semi-healed cuts on them. 

"Master Van," some one said from behind him.

"Yes, Merle?" He didn't even have to turn around to see who it was.

"What are you doing here?"

"Nothing."

"Doesn't seem like nothing to me. Here, make yourself useful and hold these for me," she said as she threw three pillows at him, similar to the ones the serving lady had been holding. Merle walked over to Hitomi and lifted something off her back. Van hadn't even noticed it before but Hitomi's back had been covered by one of those heavy pillows. He also noticed that the one that came off Hitomi's back was wet.

"What's that for?"

"She was severely coughing last night, so Mae said to give her 'the' treatment," Merle lifted an eyebrow while saying that.

"Oh," Van said. He had absolutely no idea of what Merle was talking about, but then again, she didn't know what she was talking about either, she was jus repeating what Mae had told her.

Hitomi's body shivered and Merle quickly put one of the pillows Van was holding on Hitomi's back. She took the bowl that was on the floor besides Hitomi's bed and began to pour the blueish liquid in it onto the pillow. 

"Now what?" Van asked.

"Now you take this soaked one to Mae. She's downstairs in the cleaning room," Merle was purposely teasing him. She knew he didn't want to leave Hitomi. Van smiled at her and walked out of the room with the soaked pillow Hitomi had on her back when he had come into her room earlier. When he was out of the room, Merle put Hitomi's dangling leg inside the covers. The wounds looked like they were healing alright. She took some of the liquid from the bowl with her finger and then she put the liquid on her finger on Hitomi's wounds. Hitomi's leg stiffened for a while out of pain. Merle couldn't wait until she woke up, she had so many things to tell her, so many thinks to ask, and possibly, many things to answer. But for now, she'd have to take care of her until she woke up; and take good care of her, or else Master Van would kill her.   
  


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The day had passed by slowly and with little excitement around the house. The most of what had been going on was Allen's Crusade crew who had come from Castelo Fort to pack up the belongings that they would take with them there. She had met Gadeth and Oruto before, but not the other ones. They scared her. She had tried making conversation with a few of them, but they would all turn their heads from her, or look at her with a bit of fear in their eyes. She knew they were trying to hide it, yet, for some unbeknown reason, she just knew it was there. There were so many things she knew now about people's fears, their anxieties, their nightmares. He had, unconsciously maybe, begun to teach her that when her dreams would have some other boys in it. They would be dressed in an outfit like his, yet their ranks were made quite clear. He was the general, their lord, and them, his soldiers. Their figures were but mists, fifteen mists in total, and he would yell at all fifteen of them. None of them would say a word, they never did. Not even when he hit them. That's how she began to learn from him the fear of people. 

Although he was in every dream she had ever had in the past three weeks, they had still never spoken to each other, but they knew they were there. They would both gaze into each others eyes sometimes, and he would smile at her sending chills down her spine. Making her almost want to puke with fright, but she couldn't reject him in anyway. No matter how hard she tried, she felt as if she could not reject something that was a part of her. 

She decided to go to a room, one that was completely empty except for a chair in a corner. She sat there looking out through a far window in the room at the suns reflection as it went down. It would soon be time for her to start getting tired, and she would go to her brother and tell him that she was tired and would go to bed. He'd say good night to her and kiss her on her forehead and maybe walk her to her bedroom door... something he had not done in a while. She would put on her sleeping gown and curl up under the covers and stare at something until her eyes began to feel heavy. Then she would close them and hope for a sweet dream, when all she knew she would get was another moment with him. Him, that boy with whom she felt she had so much in common and yet nothing at all with besides the pale skin and colour of their hair. She would have a dream tonight, and they would stare at each other for a while after she appeared in a battle field drenched in blood. And after they had finished staring, he would teach her something new. All this would happen after the sun went down and the stars shined out in the sky. Then, after her dream, she would get up from her bed and go to Rampant Port, from where she would leave Palas to accompany her bother. The brother who seemed to drift farther and father away from her with each passing night; each passing dream with her albino general. The on with red eyes, and a scar on his face.  
  


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No light shined in through the windows were they were. In the dark room where they were both sitting only a distant and continuous crack would be heard.

Kuaru had his right hand inside his left hand, with the right hands fingers pointing straight down. The sound came from his bad habit of cracking his fingers when he grew impatient. Paruchi just sat in his chair, sipping vino as he looked outside at the gardens through the window, not at all annoyed by Kuaru's habit.

Outside of the room, young sorcerers and some soldiers were trying to fix the fate alteration machines. According to Paruchi, it had just been an overload of the new machines because destiny had taken a slight change - nothing more.

Kuaru had agreed with Paruchi, yet, the slight change worried him. How many times did he not remember a slight change occurring before when Dornkirk ruled over Zaibach? One too many, he told himself. If something had gone wrong they would be able to recognize it and then, get rid of it if the machines worked.

Kuaru sighed. He slowly, and almost involuntarily, began to think of possible misfortunes, but none came to mind. What could go wrong? He thought. According to what Paruchi and him had observed, the Fanelian King would soon be married to one of the Egzardian princesses. Her infidelity during the marriage would cause great conflicts between countries, breaking alliances, breaking treaties; breaking hearts. The whore! The people would yell out. Of him, they would call a fool. With the whole of Gaea under disputes, their taking over would go unnoticed. Nothing could go wrong. The only thing, however, that came to his mind after thinking of the young king's love-life, was the thought of that girl - the other uncertain element.

Na, he thought. They had already made certain that she wouldn't interfere this time. As of the night before, her parents should have been mourning her death. Her body should have been discovered with little to recognize her by. Her sandy hair should have been drenched in blood and made sticky and gooey... if any remained of it. Her eyes... those ocean-blue eyes should have caused her great pain during her last moments of life. They should have swelled up with blood inside them, causing even her pupils to turn red, and then they slowly should have begun to crack open, until there was nothing there but ooing blood. Only the hands of those experts in killing could come up with a masterpiece like that. The Goulour. A rightful death for someone who had prevented Zaibach's success.

Kuaru's lips began to turn upwards in a smile, and he was delighted with joy at the thought of nothing being able to prevent their success this time. He reproached himself for having been so worried. He was now relieved. He could almost taste the sweet destiny which awaited all of Gaea, and he could feel his hand crushing the skulls of those who got in their way.  
  


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"All ready!" a man yelled from inside Crusade. Gadeth and some other members of Allen's crew had already left for Castelo Fort during the night. Now, they were preparing Crusade for Allen and Serena's departure. Predictively, Millerna and Dryden had come to say good bye.

"I'll come visit you! Ok?" Millerna said to Serena as she hugged her. "Whenever Dryden goes up there I'll come see you." Serena smiled back at Millerna and then turned around to board Crusade. She knew that if she said anything she would break down in tears. 

Millerna was her only friend. Serena remembered a time when people would stare at her in the streets, in the market, but not Millerna. Never Millerna or Dryden, not even Eries. She could tell Millerna everything. Everything except her dreams, of course. The only thing, though, was that she couldn't hide them from her. Millerna had asked her, many times, why she would become so thoughtful sometimes, but Serena just couldn't tell her. She would lie, saying it was nothing, or come up with some dumb excuse.

Meanwhile, Allen was talking to Dryden about something. They had been talking ever since Millerna and Dryden had arrived at the port, but Serena and Millerna didn't mind. The longer they took had been more time for them to spend time together.

"You sure about this, Schezar?" Dryden asked. "I'm telling you, it's only your gut feeling."

"Something is wrong with her, Dryden. She's my sister, I'd know." With that, Allen turned around and he, too, boarded Crusade. As he was walking inside he saw Serena standing in front of him, waiting for him to board. She stood there, smiling, and he smiled back at her. He lead her further inside Crusade, as it was her first time on it.

He had felt something had been wrong with Serena for weeks now. Her eyes had become so odd. The only reason why Dryden agreed to relocate him at Castelo Fort was when Allen told him about how Serena had almost pinned him against the wall. Dryden's head had shot up at that - it was common knowledge that about all Serena could do with a sword was hold it. Allen thought at first that maybe the people in the city who would stare at her as she passed by had finally gotten to her, and her way of showing this was acting the way she was; silent, thoughtful, violent at times, sleepy...

He walked over towards where the captain was and stood beside him. You're fooling yourself, he thought to himself. Deep down inside, Allen knew that the real reason why he had asked Dryden in to relocate him there wasn't because he was worried that the city and its people might be hurting Serena in a way. It was because he knew that his worst fear would come back; Dilandau. Allen didn't want any more harm to come to the city of Palas, so that was why he was taking Serena to Castelo Fort. Hopefully, it was the city that was causing her behaviour, but if it wasn't, and if his suspicions turned out to be true, then everyone would be safer if they were far away. Even Serena. Not the men at the forth though, and maybe not even him.

Crusade began to lift up from the ground and turned towards the mountains which would eventually lead them towards Castelo Fort, and so, they left Palas.   
  


Serena opened her eyes a little bit; returning from her dream. She awoke to find Allen knelt in front of her. "We're here," he whispered. She tried to get up, but she was still too tired.

She felt a pair of strong arms come around her body, and she was lifted up from where she layed. Allen carried her out of Crusade, and from what she could tell, it was probably midnight now. When Gadeth saw Serena in Allen's arms he saluted him and then asked if anything was wrong with her, but he quickly understood that she was only tired by the way her eyes were only half open. 

She was half between asleep and awake when Gadeth called Teo over to them. From what she could tell, Teo was pushing someone towards them and then pushed the person down on the ground when they both reached Allen and her. 

"Moleman," she heard Allen say. It sounded like as if he was half pleased and half frustrated by seeing this person. Serena opened her eyes a bit more and saw the chubby figure of a strange looking man (definitely a moleman) stand up. "What brings you here?" Allen asked, this time he showed more enthusiasm. She could only look at the moleman with a sleepy face.

"He told us he had something to tell you. We found him digging a hole to your old chambers here in the fort. I don't know how he knew you were coming."

"Thank you, Gadeth. Mr. Moleman, what is it you want to tell me?"

The moleman opened his mouth to begin to speak, but then, almost as if just realizing that Allen was carrying someone, he looked over at her. Her eyes opened a bit wider, for it was the first time that someone looked at her with the amount of curiosity he looked at her with. He took a step forward towards them, making Serena cuddle more into Allen's chest.

"You're scaring her!" Kio yelled from where he was standing.

"It's alright," Allen said to her. "He's a friend."

"That, I am, " the moleman said with pride. "But as I came to tell you. Two nights ago I travelled down the path which leads to Fanelia and what did I see, but a blue light appear in front of me! I quickly took cover and ran towards the woods that were near by. When the blue light was gone I saw Escaflowne! In it's dragon form, though. The person manoeuvring it was the young king, Van! I thought it strange, but dared not to go any closer, as it was none of my business as to where he had come from with that light. So I remained hidden for a while and then I noticed that he had someone in his arms - carrying her the same way you're carrying that lady! "

Serena felt like as if Allen would drop her. He stepped forward toward the moleman almost impulsively. "Who was it?" he asked.

"Why, the young lady Hitomi, of course. If you ask me, she didn't look that well. Health-wise." The moleman, again, turned from talking to Allen to looking at her with curiosity. "Is this young Serena?" he asked.

"Yes."

The moleman still stared at her, but not in the way other people did. His stare was funny, and it would have continued to be funny if everything behind him hadn't begun to burn. She was still in Allen's arms and she didn't understand why he wasn't doing something. She tried to jump out of his arms but she couldn't move. It comforted her, in a way, to not be able to move, because she knew it was only another dream, except... her eyes were open, and she knew she was quite awake. She began to hear laughter around her. Suddenly, the moleman's face turned to that of the boy from her dreams. He was laughing with so much amusement for hate. Just like the moleman had done, he turned from looking somewhere else, to looking toward her.

They stayed that way for a while, just looking at each other, but he continued to laugh. His eyes, beside the fire, provided her with warmth despite the cold breeze that she had felt when Allen had first walked out with her from Crusade. She saw him stretch out his hand towards her. His hand was covered by a dark-purple glove, but she was still fascinated by it. It was so close to her. If she could move she could reach out and touch it, she could accept the hand he was offering her. His laughter had ceased, but the fires still burnt behind him. How could someone that looked so sweet transmit so much fear inside her? They looked at each other for another second, then she heard him. "Serena," he said to her.

Serena gasped out. She blinked, as if to catch her breath better, and when she opened her eyes again he was gone, and so were the warm fires. 

"Bakero!" Kio yelled as he hit the moleman. "You scared her again."

Allen laughed a bit. "I thought I had told you it was ok. Come on, you need a good rest, it's almost dawn."  
  


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The sun slowly began to shine on her face as it rose up the high cliffs surrounding Fanelia. The morning breeze slowly came into her room, bringing soft, sweet scent from the gardens bellow her. Her eyes, slowly and lazily began to open. Everything was a blur for a few seconds, but it all began to take shape after that. 

She was laying chest-down on a semi-hard bed in the middle of a wooden room. Her face was turned toward her right side and her arms had been placed beside her body. She felt something heavy and wet on her back, making it feel warm, but her shoulders were cold. She realized she was naked and that the only things that covered her were a thin blanket from her waste down, and the heavy thing on her back. 

She layed there, not moving, just looking at her surroundings. From what she could see, the room didn't have many decorations or objects to adorn it. It was all just unpainted, narrow, thick strips of wood.

The room was as still as she was; and silent, except for the slow rhythm of her breathing and the gentle tingle of the breeze making wind chimes touch each other. The silence of the room was disrupted by heavy footsteps getting closer and closer to the room.

Because of the position she was in, and her tiredness, she only saw a pair of small black shoes stand in front of her. She lifted her gaze to see more and lifted her head up a bit too. She saw a chubby, black haired woman with a stunned look on her face, carrying what looked like heavy, thick, long pillows.

The woman dropped the pillows to the ground and ran out, making Hitomi groan with ache as the pillows made a loud sound against the wooden floor.

"Merle! Merle!" she heard the woman screaming outside the room.

Hitomi heard the name and repeated it softly, "Merle..." She knew she knew who that was, yet, she still couldn't quite remember. She began to heard fast, light steps coming towards the room where she was.

A strange looking catgirl was knelt down in front of her all of a sudden with light pinkish hair that went down to her shoulders and beautiful blue eyes.

"Hitomi?" The girl asked softly.

Hitomi's eyes opened wide. Merle, she thought, you look so grown up. The room was silent again as they both stared at each other, eyes wide open, not saying a word, just piercing into each others thoughts.

A loud noise of someone running towards the room interrupted the silence of that moment, making Merle turn around to see who it was - Hitomi's position didn't allow her to do so, she just kept her gaze on Merle, who moved away from her cat-like knelt position, away from Hitomi's view and made way for a pair of brown boots to appear. "Master Van," she heard Merle say.

The boots were preceded by cacki coloured pants, then the bottom of a red coloured shirt. This person was kneeling down to be able to be seen by Hitomi. 

She slowly began to draw breath to in order to have enough air to be able to comprehend what she knew she was about to see. . . 

He looked just like she remembered, except his features were a bit stronger. Besides that, everything was the same; his wonderful child-like smile, his brown eyes, even his hair.

She exhaled the breath she had been holding in as they both stared into each others eyes. She began to search them for something, anything that would tell her it was all another dream, but her search was in vain. She only found the warmth she had yearned for so long during the past year in his gaze; only found that safe-assuring feeling from his smile; and she found that heart-melting sound from his lips when he said her name, "Hitomi."

She stared even deeper into his eyes now, as her own began to fill with tears and her vision became blurred from them. She was able to turn her face away from him in the opposite direction. She brought the hand nearest to her up to her face and began to sob quietly.

"There, there," she heard the voice of the lady she had seen earlier that day as the lady rubbed her bare shoulders trying to comfort her. "It's alright, darling. You're fine here. Merle and I will take good care of you." Her voice was reassuring and it calmed her down a bit, turning her sobs into whimpers as the tears began to dry.

Hitomi felt the weight on her back go away as something was lifted off it, leaving her bare back open to feel the breeze she had only heard earlier in the morning.

"I'll put this way," she head him say, making her turn body completely away from him. Her body turned into a fetal position, in which she hid her face as the sobs and tears came back after hearing his voice.

Van's steps began to fade away and when she couldn't hear them anymore she felt someone carefully climb on to the bed and put their arms around her.

"Don't cry, Hitomi." She heard Merle say. "Aren't you glad to see Master Van?" Hitomi didn't answer, and Merle sighed. "Well, he's extremely happy to see you." She said softly.

"Come now, dear, " the lady said again. "You don't want to lay there naked all day, do you?" Hitomi shook her head, which was still hidden. The lady took Hitomi's arm in her and lifted her up into a sitting position on the bed. Hitomi held her covers up to her chest with one hand and wiped her face with the other.

"You must be hungry," the lady said.

Hitomi smiled a bit and shook her head. "Now that you mention it, yes, I am," she said while she still wiped some of the tears away.

"Well you should be, you've only been laying there laying there for the past two days!" It was Merle talking now. Hitomi laughed a bit harder after Merle said that. Oh, how I missed that attitude, she though, but suddenly, it hit her.

"What?! Two days?!"  
  


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I feel terrible! It seems like my writer's block hasn't been cured, anyone want to help me out?? 

Anyway, this chapter was only an intro for the rest of the chapters (kind of) *I'm just saying that so I don't get too many flames... go easy on me!* Anyway, R/R pweaze! Time Bomb.


	4. Like Before

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The spiral-like shape of the Fate Alterating engine turned slowly in its light-pinkish colour.Kuaru's eyes stared into it.Looking at the machines seemed to take him back to a time, not too long ago, when he had seen his colleague – his friend – brutally murdered.His yells of pain still haunted him.Sometimes, at night, he wouldn't be able to sleep because of the memories…

"Kuaru, do you see it?" someone interrupted his thoughts.

"Yes, Paruchi.I see the shadow.She's back."Kuaru laughed for a bit, sounding almost maniacal.

"What will we do, Lord Kuaru?" one of the young sorcerers asked him.Kuaru mumbled the question a few times before he yelled out in madness.

"We can't do anything!If we try to kill her here we'll be found out and our plans will be ruined and then… then where will we be?"The room stayed still and quiet after Kuaru finished.He was furious.

"We could always re-summon the Goulour.We don't exactly know what happened while the machines malfunctioned.Maybe, they know something we don't."Paruchi took a sip of vino after he had finished speaking.He seemed so calm.

"Ah, my friend, Paruchi, always with a solution to everything.Yes, yes, you're right.Maybe we _should_ do that… have we made sure all the machines are functioning correctly?"

"No," a young man answered.

"Then we should do that first.A murder… can take place at any other time."

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"Wake up," a voice said to her.She felt a breeze, and it was warm… too warm.Serena slowly opened her eyes and found that she had been sleeping on sand.She got up and dusted it off herself. "Where am I," she asked the guy standing with his back turned toward her, but she knew who it was.

"It's nice here, isn't it?" he asked as he turned to face her.Serena stared deep into his eyes then._So red_, she thought.

"It's a desert," she replied."There's nothing here."

"That's the point."

One of Serena's eyebrows lowered as she stared at him with a confused look on his.How could nothing be beautiful?"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Serena, Serena, my little Serena," he chanted as he walked toward her.He put his hand on her cheek, rubbing it with his thumb.Serena like it – being with him, his though, his voice, and the smile he gave her when he took her hand.She felt as if she had known him all her life… but she didn't, and she was letting him touch her.No lady did that.She quickly took her hand away from his and he looked at her in surprise."I don't even know your name," she said.

"You should…my name's Dilandau.Dilandau Albatou."

"I think I've heard your name mentioned once or twice… but everyone just stops talking about anything when I go into the room…" she lowered her face down and he brought it up by lifting her chin.Serena wondered what he would do… why he was just looking down on her, not saying anything, just looking at her and smiling.She stared back at him - into his eyes._So red…_ she thought.Serena blinked, and he was gone.She put her face down again and noticed that she was in the same place where she had first seen him - a very dark place.A place so dark, she was lost in the eternity of its shadows.

"I don't like this," she whispered to herself.

"Then leave," she heard someone whisper and the black around her started to clear when she heard another voice.She recognized the voice.

"Hey, wakeup," she heard him say.Serena opened her eyes and saw Allen standing above her."Good morning," he said to her, but she didn't reply.Allen didn't take notice of this though."Do you recognize where we are?"

Serena sat up from where she had been lying down and saw that she was on Crusade again._I thought we had already gotten to Castello…_ she thought.She stood up and walked toward one of the windows to look outwards.Answering Allen's question he said, "I don't recognize this place, where are we?"

"Fanelia.You fell asleep after Mr. Moleman scared you, so I didn't bother to ask if you wanted to come or not.I hope you don't mind."

Serena shook her head."I don't mind."

"That's good.We won't be staying there for long, I just…"

"Want to see that girl?" she interrupted."It's fine."Allen looked at her for a while._She catches on quickly, _he thought.

"We'll be at the castle soon.Millerna and Dryden will be there too, though they'll get there after we do.I just thought I'd let you know."

Serena, again, didn't respond, and Allen walked away, leaving her with whatever it was she was so concentrated on."Maybe it's 'cause you just woke her up, boss.Don't worry about it," Kio said after noticing concern on Allen's face.

"Thanks, Kio.I hope you're right."

Meanwhile, Serena continues to stare out the window as she began to recognize the route they were taking.Maybe about a year ago, or a bit longer, her brother had brought her there with him while he settled some treaty between Asturia and Fanelia because Dryden was sick.Allen would come here many times, though most of them had nothing to do with work.He never told him why he came though… _Maybe_, she thought, _it's to see that girl.She probably left for a while and is back now… and he couldn't wait to see he…_

If she remember correctly, Fanelia's king was good looking, and about her age too…

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"Climb up!!"

"Why though?I can see it just fine from up here."They were at the second highest roof of the castle, but Merle insisted that they both go up to the highest one.

"No, you don't.You're lying," Merle complained.

"I promise you, I'm not, Merle."

"Hitomiiii… you're so stubborn!Just climb up the ladder to the roof so you can really see the city!"

Hitomi mumbled for a few seconds before she gave in to Merle's demands.As she climbed up, Hitomi wondered why Merle had insisted so much, but she didn't bother to ask. 

"You almost there, Hitomi?"

"Can you see me being almost there?" Hitomi mumbled silently to herself.She continued climbing the ladder with her head looking down and she slowly began to notice how high up she was."That's a big fall," she whispered to herself.Suddenly she heard the flapping of wings.Frightened, she held on to the ladder and waited for the wind to settle.Hitomi looked down at Merle who had her hands on her hips while one of her feet tapped the rooftop softly.She climbed a few more steps and she reached the top.Proud of her self, she yelled down to Merle, "Ok!" but Merle wasn't down there anymore."Where'd that cat-girl go?" she asked herself, still looking down.

"Hitomi?" she heard a voice on the rooftop say.Startled, her head jerked up to see who it was. She saw Van sitting on the roof, shirtless.Hitomi smiled at him and blushed a bit while in her thoughts she cursed Merle.

"Van! I… didn't know you were up here… Sorry… if I bothered you…"

"No, it's ok.... not a lot of people know I come up here," he said as he walked over to Hitomi, who was still on the ladder.He helped her on the roof and they both sat down beside each other, over looking the city.Remembering Merle's "reason" for her to go up to the roof, Hitomi realised that the city did look great.She mentioned it to Van, who simply nodded, not saying a word.The moment was awkward for both of them, especially Hitomi, who felt embarrassed because of the scene she had made in the room when she woke up.Van looked over at her and he saw that the sun on her face made her look perfect.Hitomi smiled at him, squinting a little because of the sun, but never the less, her smile still made him feel better about everything; just like before.When all seemed lost he would turn to her for comfort and she would always smile the way she was smiling at him now.But he couldn't allow himself to think like that anymore.It was all different now.He was king and he might even be getting married soon – if he chose to – and she…he would always love her.

The expression on his face must have changed because Hitomi's did too after seeing it."What's wrong?" she asked him.

Van turned away, like he did before, when something _was_ wrong."Nothing," he said.

"You sure?" she asked, but he didn't respond.Giggling a little to see that his attitude hadn't changed she nudged him with her elbow."You haven't changed," she smiled, and rested her head on his shoulders.Usually, she wouldn't have done that, but at that moment they were friends, and it was _Van_.

A little surprised, but thinking it must be something girls from the Mystic Moon just did, he leaned his head on hers, and they both sat there, doing nothing for a while.After some time they began to talk about all the things that had gone on while Hitomi was away.He told her about how Millerna and Dryden had gotten back together; about Allen and Serena; about how Merle had a crush on Gadeth for a while; and about how Princess Eries had become queen of Asturia after King Aston passed away.

"Why didn't Dryden become king?" she asked him when he mentioned that.

"See, Eries is the older sister.Dryden is only married to the youngest, so he couldn't become king.Not unless Eries gave the throne to him, but he would be too busy with his own business anyway."

After that, Hitomi told him about everything that had happened to her on Earth during the past year… since they lost communication.There was nothing to tell him, really, and everything she did say she made sound more interesting than it really was.The bottom line was, it hadn't been all that great without her knowing anything about him; not knowing if he still cared and sometimes, being worried about his safety.But she avoided that subject, pretending as if she hadn't even noticed that they had lost communication.She just talked about Earth, and about how great it could be when there weren't catastrophe's happening.

Although it was clear daytime, Hitomi could see Earth from Gaea, and despite it all – despite the boundary it represented for both of them – she couldn't deny its beauty."It's beautiful…" she sighed.

Van, noticing what she was talking about, couldn't help but feel a bit bad for bringing her back… without asking, not knowing if she really wanted to come… but she would have died, so there was really nothing he could do and it was unsafe to send her back now."I'll send you back Hitomi, I promise.Just as soon as we figure out what that thing chasing after you was, and why…"

"No…" she mumbled to him in a tired voice."It's better here… with you… Van…" Van reached over for Hitomi's forehead and he noticed that her fever hadn't completely gone away.He stood up, carrying her in his arms and spread out his wings to fly down with her when a flash in the sky caught his eye.He recognized that kind of flash, it was like a star.It was a flying a ship; Crusade._Finally_, he thought.For a moment, Van was happy again – with Hitomi there and a good friend on the way.For the moment, he forgot about the pressures he had, and Egzardia didn't even cross his mind.

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An envelope sat on a desk in her room.Spotting it, she grabbed it and giggled while she took the note from inside, throwing the envelope to the ground and reading what the note had to say.

_"…I cannot hide my feelings for you any longer.I long for you, for your body, and your red, sinful lips.Your eyes… so mysteriously blue.All this, and more, about you has left me enchanted… I am yours… I love you…"_

*sigh*

This was her fourth letter that week, and maybe the most interesting one, considering it was from one of her father's chancellors - maybe three twice her age, at the least._Typical_, she thought, _wanting to sleep with me_.She put the letter down and looked into one of the mirrors.She was, indeed, beautiful.Hair as black as night, her eyes a strong blue, and skin a tone of soft gold; who wouldn't want her?

She took the envelope from the floor and put the note back in. With the letter hidden in one of her sleeves, she left the room and walked down the hallways of her father's castle.Seeing that no one was anywhere to be seen (or to see her), she took the letter out from its hiding place and began reading it again.She was amazed, in a way._Who would have thought an old man like him could have such dirty thoughts… but could he actually carry them out?_ She wondered._The man could be three times my age, no less.He couldn't please me… _Anger began to fill her._What does he think he is?Royalty?Yeah, right!He should know better… small people like him don't interest me at all.The thought of being with him is disgusting._

Reaching a large and highly decorated door with wooden sculptures engraved on it, she put the letter back into its envelope.Kneeling down, she began to realize that the calligraphy on it was quite nice._Professionally done, no doubt_.Judging by the texture of the paper, that, too must have been expensive… _Poor fool._She looked at the envelope with disgust for a while."You're a no one and nothing," she said to it as if it was the man she was talking to.

She looked around her to make sure no one was near, and she slid the envelope bellow the door, into the room that it led to.She stood up and began to walk away as easy-going as she had come._Tomorrow_, she thought, _there will be an execution_.Then, evilly, her lips slowly began to form into a smile.

Some time after that, King Naganori sentenced a man to execution after he read a letter a in an expensive envelope which he found on the floor to his office addressed to his daughter, Aliz Ani Egzar.

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Hitomi looked around her.She was in a field covered in grass – barely any trees though.She was about to take a step forward when she saw something glow at her feet.Bending down to grab it she realized what is was."My pendant?" she asked herself.Having said that, it seemed as if she was outside her body, looking at everything spin around her until Van appeared… then it stopped and she was in her body again – looking at him.Everything was better now."Van!" she yelled out has she ran towards him, but he seemed to ignore her.He looked sad."Van?What's wrong?"

Van looked up at her and smiled a bit, then he put his head down, back in the way he had it before."I'm sorry, Hitomi."

She stared at him, confused, but even more confused when he started to walk away."Where are you going?" she asked him.

"I don't want to hurt you," he responded as he continued to walk away.

"You're not."

"Yes, I am."His tone of voice never hanged.It was always sounded so sad.Slowly, as he walked farther away from her, he began to vanish into thin air and he left her alone again in a field, where he seemed to always leave her.Looking down into her hands, she stared at her pendant and like before, she began to watch as her body was slowly pulled down into a pool of water.She saw as a tear began to form in her eye and watched as it slowly rolled down her cheek and began to fall into the water.As it fell, she followed it, waiting for it to hit the water, when she knew this dream would end… but it didn't.She saw a reflection in the tear instead and suddenly she wasn't sinking anymore, she was standing in that field again, except Van wasn't in front of her.Instead, there was a girl and a boy, both about her age, standing about 5 feet away from her.If she hadn't recognized one of them she would have sworn they were brother and sister… but they weren't, they were only alike… extremely alike.

Hitomi just looked at them.The girl looked familiar, but she couldn't quite completely recognize her.Her eyes looked tired, maybe even sad.

Hitomi couldn't take her eyes off the saddened figure of that girl.Even with someone there (if Dilandau could be considered a _someone_), she still looked so lonely.Soon, Hitomi began to see flames behind this girl.They surrounded her as Dilandau's laughter laughter grew greater.Hitomi did nothing.She just watched as they swallowed her, and soon, the flames were swallowing her too.Taking her too a silent, dark place, where she was left alone.

"Hitomi!!"

"Gaaaah!!" Hitomi's eyes opened abruptly to the sound of Millerna yelling out her name as she put her arms around her."Millerna?" she asked.

"Oh Hitomi, I missed you so much!"

Hitomi heard someone come into the room and she looked towards the doorway where Dryden was leaning.

"Ah, Millerna," he sighed."I thought Van told you she was sleeping."

"Oh, it's ok," he said as he walked in the room with Allen."We're all use to her not listening to us.You especially, Dryden."

"Ah, don't reming me…" he responded.Millerna gave him a nasty look while Van laughed.He seemed so happy.Happy that they were all together again, like before.Happy that Hitomi was here to make him whole.To make him whole.

Hitomi was happy too, obviously."When did you all get here?" she asked.

Dryden was about to answer the question when a more than familiar voice came from the hallways as he entered the room.Allen.

"My crew and I arrived a bit after dawn yesterday.Millerna and Dryden got here about ten minutes ago," he said so calmly in that oh-so-mellow tone of his that once would have made her melt."Hello, Hitomi."

"Hi," she replied.The thought of the 'yesterday' he had used in his sentence made her wonder though.He noticed.

"When we arrived," he continued to try to explain to her, "Van told me you had a fever and were resting… I didn't want to disturb you, so you weren't awakened."Hitomi smiled at him after he spoke._Allways so curtious with the ladies_, she thought.

"I, on the other hand," said Millerna, "thought Van was just trying to keep you all to himself."

Van's face immediately changed from a relaxed look to an embarrassed one.Hitomi didn't really notice though, she was too worried about what her face looked like.The other's just laughed – Millerna knew what she had done, she meant to do it too.Suddenly, they all began to hear a small voice in the hallways getting louder as it got closer.

"Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!"It was Merle."Godds!Serena, Hitomi might have a reason to lay in bed all day but not you!"Merle entered theroom and looked surprised when she noticed everyone looking at her.

"Well, well, who do we haver here? …Merle, shouldn't you be chasing Gadeth around?"

She stared at him with a dumbafied look on her face while the other ones laughed._They know I liked him?_ She thought.Them it hit her:_And they're teasing me about it?… Just you wait Dryden Faza… always so funny… now, where was I??OOP! Where's Serena?!_Merle turned around just as Serena was coming in to the room with a sleepy look on her fae.A tired look.

"My, look who the cat brought in," Allen teased as Merle's tail grew to a puff ball."Hitomi, I suposse you remember my sister.Serena, this is Hitomi Kan…"Allen's voice seemed to fade for both Serena and Hitomi when they saw each other._It's that girl_, Hitomi thought to herself as she stared at her with surprise."

With Serena, it was a whole different story."Aaaaaaaaaahhh!!"Dilandau was screaming.To her it seemed like he was being tortured again, like in her dreams.She tried to hide anything being wrong with her as these images came to her."It's her!" he yelled out."It's all because of her…"that last phrase came almost in a shiver.He was scared, or something.

"Serena?"Millerna asked."Are you alright?"

Serena snapped out of it, or atleast tried to fake it."Hm? Me?Yes, just tired," she responded."Nice to meet you, Hitomi."Hitomi smiled at Serena and nodded her head.She found it hard to speak.

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The sky wasn't completely dark yet and for the four drunk men on the hill top it was unbelievable to see a bright blue light spectrum in the sky that changed to a pale green for a few seconds a time.

"It's the godds, I tell ya, *hip* comin' to punish Zaibach for the sins of the past!" said the one drunky who could still stand."You deserve it, too" he said to his friends.Himself being born in the old zaibachian capital."They're coming for us!" *hip*

No, they weren't.The 'godds' weren't coming for them.They weren't even close enough to being called gods.They were awful, tiny, men-like creatures with grayish skin, big bellies, and thing arms and legs.Eyes, that were yellow when they weren't too deadly; black, when they were deadly; and a bleeding red when it could almost taste its victim.The perfect little killer.No, nothing like godds.

They weren't coming to kill anyone (this time).They were here, falling from a blue silhoutte in a black sky into a forgotten place in Zaibach.The place that gave shame to Zaibach.Where all the experiments and fate alterations were carried out.A place that was meant to be destroyed – that shouldn't exist – but just did.

It worked wonders for people like Kuaru and Paruchi.

The creatures were actually coming because they were once again summoned by the two sorcerers.Their masters.The ones who had brokenthe codes and knew their names…

"We want the girl," Paruchi said.

"No,"Kuaru sai, "we want her dead.Same as before: get rid of her."

"Only her?" one of the grotesque creatures asked.To Kuaru, that sounded defiant.Paruchi only heard it as the creatures' blood-thirst speaking.

"Yes," Kuaru replied looking somewhat annoyed."ONLY her."With that, the creature's bowed and jumped toward the sky, where they would disappeer into the blue myst that was still there waiting for them.

"Your plan is, uh, perfect," Paruchi said as he sipped some vino.

The Goulour, on the other hand, had another plan.Where more than one person would die – one life, had already been taken some days ago.

Kuaru and Paruchi should have read the codes more carefully.

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As the group moved form Hitomi's chambers to a dinig room, Van approached Dryden.

"Dryden, I hope my letter clearly explained to you why it was so urgent for you to come."Dryden stared at Van a little confused for a while.

"Oh, you mean Allen's letter telling us about Hitomi's return."Now it was Van's look to look at him strangely.

"No… one was sent to Allen, but you should both have received one from from my royal messenger."Dryden was really confused now.Sure, the moleman was speedy and all, but Van actually made _him_ Royal Messenger?

"Well, Van," he said finally, "unless you made the Moleman your royal meesenger, neither Allen, nore I, received any letter from a royal messenger."

"Hm, strange…" Van said to himself as they preceded into the dining room.

One life had already been taken.


	5. Fate?

- - authors note - -

- - authors note - -

WARNING!!: LONG chapter.

This chapter is dedicated to my friend Amy (I love link) for forcing me to keep writing and making it quick (hey…I had writers block!).She actually did that for Chapt.4 but for some reason my authors notes didn't appear… weird… Anyway, enjoy. And everyone read Amy's stories!BTW, the first scene takes place the day after Hitomi has returned, k?It seems that part didn't appear either… weird…Ooh, and I apologize a head of time for any spelling or grammar errors, but my spell checker on the computer is screwed up… -_-Neways, ONWARD!

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· ´ ¨* ·. ¸ ¸.*Fate? *. ¸ ¸. ·* ¨` ·

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--recalling the past--

The letters were handed over to her in rolls sealed with the royal Fanelian stamp.She was told to deliver the messages as soon as possible. She bowed, put the letters in her pouch and jumping on her horse.¹ She nudged it with her heels on the sides and it began trotting towards the groves.

Getting the job as a royal messenger wasn't easy – especially for a girl.Her father had been the royal messenger before her, but then Zaibach attacked and… well, King Van needed a new messenger after they had begun to rebuild the city.She had travelled with her father many times when he was sent to deliver messages, and she knew every shortcut to anywhere in Gaea imaginable.So, who better to take the job, right? …His Majesties high council didn't think so._Typical_, she had thought, but Lord Van knew better.He ignored them and gave her the position as head-royal messenger.

In all her years of working for him they had never spoken, he had only smiled at her once.But that smile was enough for her to swear loyalty to him.She had proven it, too, many times after that, but now, it seemed her loyalty was to be quick.She had been told to deliver the letters in the hands of Allen Schezar – the noble knight of Asturia and good friend of Lord Van – and Dryden Faza – another good friend of the king's.She had delivered letters to them before, but never with such urgency.

"Must have something to do with the blue light that appeared last night," she said to herself as she passed throught a small path in the forest – one of her many known shortcuts to Asturia.The forest seemd incredibly quiet though.Paying no attention to that, she continued to pass through.The leaves brushed all around her with fury and she heard the chuckling of what she thought were small children playing.

"Hello?" she asked out loud as she stopped the horse.All she received as an answer was more chucking, "hehehe."Chills ran down her spine, but she ignored them and tapped the horse gently so it would start walking.She was alert of what was going on around her.Had she not been, she probably wouldn't have noticed the small pairs of lights appearing in the bushes.In all her years of travelling, nothing like this had ever happened.The small yellow lights in the bushes began to join into two big red ones as she rode by them… and she wasn't stupid.

With one strong kick to the sides, her horse was galloping faster than she had ever ridden it.She could hear the pounds of large steps behind her.As the horse and herself breathed with obvious fear she couldn't help but wonder, _what the hell is going on?_Curiosity got the better of her and she looked back, catching only a glimpse of a bony hand/claw with veins and flesh dangling from it.The hand had been reaching toward the horses rear."The pouches?" she whispered to herself as she dodged branches.Ofcourse, she was only carrying two things of importance in that pouch:the letters.

She reached behind her and pulled the letter's out of the pouch.The horse neighed fiercely as the creature dug it's bony fingers into its rear.With one strong thrust, the horse was pulled back with a strength Emi never thought could possibly exist, but she had known that was about to happen and leaped off the horse it as it was pulled back.Never stopping to look back, she continued running as the sounds of ripping flesh came from behind her.

The roar of the creature following grew louder with every terrorized breath she took.Still running, she looked back.Thank gods she had done that just in time to see something being thrown at her. She dodged it.When the object hit the ground it splashed something red everywhere; it was blood.The creature had ripped apart her horse and thrown a member of the horses body at her, maybe the organs.She wasn't sure.It's not like she wanted to know either.She heard a leap from behind her, and although she tried to keep running, the impact of when the creature landed infront of her made her lose her balance and fall to the ground.She looked up at the creature from where she lay.Terror filled her, and disgust too, but it was mainly terror.What scared her the most were its eyes though.Eyes that seemed to bleed.She watched motionless as the creature's eyes began to turn as black as she could have ever imagined.A black of pure evil.Somehow, despite it's skull-like head, the creature seemed to smile with satisfaction as it looked down upon her terror-filled face.

Holding the messages in her hand, she closed her eyes and prayed, "I'm sorry sire, forgive me."The blood from the creature's eyes seemed to splash out as it went down towards her, and despite her terror she managed to rip the letters before only the sound of ripping flesh – human flesh – filled the forest's once peaceful silence.

--back to the present--

Kuaru had watched carefully into the destiny predicting device all day long.He was trying, once again, to see the fate that awaited the young king of Fanelia.He needed to make sure that the past wouldn't be repeated and that the king wouldn't turn out to be the one who destroyed their plans once again along with the 'white dragon' or Escaflowne.However, he couldn't very well do that when he saw two fates for the young king, could he?Especially when a path was covered in mist.He could predict the fate of anyone in Gaea, except him… talk about misfortune!The worst though, was that no matter how hard they tried – no matter how many dreams or nightmares they sent his way (heck, he'd even tried one of those – what were they called?Erotic dreams?), they still couldn't get him to chose the path they had chosen for him.

The anger grew inside him with every beat his heart took.The anger, which had begun to grow as fast as a cancer since an image all too well had reappeared in their machines.An image he knew all too well; and an image that would soon "disappear" as mysteriously as it had appeared.All he had to do was sit back and wait… and maybe plan another one or two games to play with the minds of people (one being Serena Schezar's).Either way, he'd have to wait.

Wait… that word would resonate in his mind everytime he thought about the action of waiting.It made him think of a time, not too long ago, when Paruchi, Garuto, and himself had to _wait _around the city square and watch as their friend, Foruma, was tortured to death.He remembered how the three of them use to _wait _for night to fall.That way, if their faces changed, it wouldn't be all that noticeable and less people would be around to watch.But most of all, he remembered how the three of them decided to split up for a while until things cooled down (or until the socerer hunt season was over).After that, on the day they had decided to meet again,he remembered how Paruchi and him waited… and waited for Garuto to return.Waiting… for any bad news as the days went by or for him to show up and say he had simply been lost or was detained.Until one day they over heard a young boys description of how one of the sorcerers had been killed in his village: chased down and eaten by dogs.

Even as he sighed and leaned back on the old throne, the thought still disturbed him.

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Serena sighed as she walked up a hill toward the groves.She looked down at the castle beyond her and from where she was standing she could only see a peak of Dryden's new ship which he had landed in one of the new castle yards – much to the dislike of the high council.Ever since they had arrived, though, it seemed like Allen had been avoiding her as much as possible.She didn't blame him.Who would want a sister who was going crazy anyway?But she couldn't help the fact that she felt tired and sleepy… or that Dilandau came to her.

In a way though, he had become her closest friend.For some reason, it felt as if he understood her sadness; her emptiness.She didn't understand him though.Serena knew nothing about him besides his name and that he was obviously some type of general.However, not knowing about him didn't bother her.It appeared she didn't know much of anything anymore anyway, and no one was planning to tell her either.Allen had made that perfectly clear to her when he forbid her to go into Dryden's ship because they were going to discuss Hitomi's return.

She ducked down and reached for the knife she had begun to keep in her boot lately.She took it out and stabbed the tree she had been leaning against with it._So?_ She asked hersef._Ooh, big deal, Hitomi's from Freid… psh, not like it's gonna kill me or anything._

Ok, maybe it _did _bother her to not know what was going on.

She sighed, taking the knife out of the tree with laziness."I hate you Allen," she said between clenched teeth.

INSIDE DRYDEN'S SHIP:

Merle grasped the carpet that she was sitting upon in Dryden's library._Master Van is so brave! _She thought as he told Dryden and Allenabout when Hitomi was brought back.No one seemed to notice that he left out the part of _how _he knew Hitomi was in danger, though.

_To think he was in that kind of danger… _Merle puffed out her tail,_ Hitomiiiiii!! Oof, that girl…_

Millerna and Hitomi had sat quietly next to a window after Hitomi had told her side of what had happened.Millerna seemed a bit queazy throughout Hitomi's story, but now that Van was talking, she had more or less calmed down.

"Is that all?" Allen asked after Van was finished.Van replied with anod.

The five of them waited for Dryden to say something but he looked completely submerged in his thoughts.Until, finally, he asked Hitomi, "Uh… what did you say the little creatures looked like?"

"Mmmm… big round heads and bellies, thin arms and legs, claw-like hands and feet… greyish skin… yellow eyes… but they turned black and then red… with blood gushing out before they turned into the big creature." Millerna shuttered and again they all waited for an answer, but Dryden just climbled up a ladder to reach a pile of books.

"No… not here," he whispered to himself as he left a group of books alone and swung to another. 

Near the window, Millerna and Hitomi saw a group of men coming from the castle and headed their way.

"They're Master Van's high council,"Merle whispered to them.She seemed to have appeared beside them in a nano-second.Hitomi turned toward Van, who obviously had no idea they were coming and smiled at him.Van smiled back as a noise outside their hallway grew louder and suddenly, in tumbled 5 old men – the high council.

"Sire…" the eldest man began saying as he fought for breath and almost as suddenly (and noisily) as the high council had tumbled in, there came a loud blow from outside the castle walls.To Hitomi it sounded like trumpets, and maybe the noise _was_ just that, but to Van, Merle, and everyone else it meant much, much more.

As a half enfuriated, half shocked Van walked out of Dryden's ship, the rest (except for Dryden, who semeed to not have noticed anything going on) followed him.

"I'm sorry," the old man, Kioyi, continued saying behind Van as he tried to catch up."We didn't know about it either until just a while ago."He said it is if he had already explained the situation, ofcourse, it was only Hitomi who didn't know what the situation was… and Leo knew this.

He waited until they were outside the castle walls and inbetween the massive crowd that had gathered round outside the walls in hope to catch a glimpse of what would happen.He walked over to her when he saw her standing alone.She looked almost excited about whatever she might think was going on.

"Ahhh, isn't this exciting?" he asked her, pretending to be almost as excited as she looked.He felt almost sorry about what he was about to do when he realised that her excitement was almost like that of a child's: simple and pure, with no explanation needed.

"Yeah, I guess.But what's going on?" she replied with a friendly smile while the trumpets could be heard louder than ever as a highly decorated carriage approached them.Leo smiled at that question, and what a question it was, indeed.

Despite her own opinion, her father sent her anyway.Here she was, Princess Aliz Ani Egzar, being almost paraded down a street to simply meet another suitor.Well, she had to admit it was not just _any_ suitor.It was, after all, one of the heroes that had saved Gaea.Still, he was only a boy, merely a year older than her and no matter what her father said, his country was still one of the most worthless ones in all of Gaea.Why did anyone need farmers?Why did she want the king of farm-nelia as a husband?And yet still, there he was, waiting for her outside his castle.He wasn't dressed fancy or anything, he wore normal clothes… peasant clothes…Aliz lifted up an eyebrow from where she was admiringly… he looked alright

_Woah_, she thought, _that was totally weird._One second she's cussing him out and then after she see's him, she's much more than curious about him… It would have normally made her feel angry that someone would receive her that way, but when she saw him she felt a bit drawn to him.His hair looked disobedient, his eyes were alert, his body was upright (almost tense) with a tan you just knew came from being outside with the peasants too much.That would have to be changed… mingling with lowlifes… ugh…

His clothes would definitely have to go too… and the clothes of whoever was standing a few feet away from him… They were the strangest clothes she had ever seen in her life.What kind of girl wears that?

Leo had walked over for her to ask that exact question: what's going on?And he had her.Oh, he would tell her what was happening, for sure.He would tell her exactly what she needed to know to whipe that smile off her face.

"Those trumpets announce the arrival of a royal Egazardian princess, Aliz.Her arrival is sure to make Lord Van happy.He's been so overwhelmed and tense with this whole… thing" he said that while looking her straight in the eye and then looking her up and down.'Thing,' meaning 'Hitomi's arrival.'

"Happy?" Hitomi asked.Van hadn't seemed sad or anything…

"Well, who wouldn't be with the most beautiful woman in Gaea as his bride?" he asked.

…

. . .

. . . .

*CRASH!*

It felt as if a thousand worlds had crashed down upon her.It felt like as if her throat was being squeezed shut as her heart was ripped apart… as if she was slowly being pulled down int a lake of tears.She felt hopeless and powerless; completely alone in a cheering crowd who awaited a young bride… Van's bride.

At that moment, her dreams had a meaning.The loneliness, her feeling of being pulled down into water as if she was slowly dying and there was nothing she could do about it but watch.Watch as the carriage stopped infront of him and watch as, indeed, a beautiful princess came out of it.

Unconsciously, she had begun walking away from the crowd.She didn't even hear as Merle and Millerna called for her to ask where she was going.She didn't even notice when she walked past Van and bumped into him.She was just out of it.Somewhere else, somewhere other than Gaea.Somewhere where she was totally unaware of the disdain in Leo's eyes and the wickedness in his smile as she walked away into the groves.

It all seemed to be moving in slow-motion for Van.The crowd's loud, cheerfulness seemed to fade away into a backround that wasn't there.All the noise just faded the closer that damn carriage came to the castle's front gates.

**TRRRIIIUUUMPTUTUUU!!**

His attention went back to the now parked carriage infront of him.A well dressed herald walked toward the door and opened it for someone to come out.

"Your majesty," the herald said adressing to Van, "I present to you, Princess Aliz Ani Egzar."At first, only a hand with a big ring came out.The ring had the design of the Egzardian royal crest in a light blue stone.The hand gracefully met with that of the servants and as you can imagine, the crowd went dead silent awaiting for the princess to come out.It seemed like an eternity to Van.

The princess came the carriage wearing a fashionably exquisit Egzardian dress.It was a deep blue at the top (in her chest area and the top of the sleeves) which then slowly faded into a light blue.The light blue slowly transformed into a light purple which then, like the blue, turned into a dark purple at the bottom of the flare.She wore a neon-green cape, which, despite its colour, looked incredibly good with the dress.Not to mention the person who was wearing it.She gracefully looked up at Van after she was out of the carriage.Her hair was combed out and it shined in the sunlight."Good day," she said as she bowed down a _bit_ – enough to show respect, not enough to let him forget who she was.Her eyes sparkled and her lips created an almost perfect smile.She was beautiful.Even more so than he had thought, but… Unexpectedly, he felt as a body bumped into him pushing him forward a bit.His head turned to see Hitomi walking away, almost as if being driven by something unconsciously._Where's she going?_

Aliz smiled at him, reminding him (kind of) of what he was supossed to do:he extended a hand toward her, and they began walking toward the castle.

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An evil laughter filled the room.The sound of it made you wonder what was really in it: evil or joy?No one understood that laughter better than Paruchi, who was happily going through his fourth cup of vino ever since they had begun to see the dragon being forced to take the clear path – their designed path.Life was good at the moment; too good.

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Walk, that's about all Hitomi could do besides think.Think about Van; think about her feelings… wonder about his.

"Ofcourse," she sighed as she dodged a branch while she entered the groves, "now I see why we lost touch."The thought made her feel unconfortable, it was unbareable, "He wanted something… real."He couldn't really hug Hitomi, kiss her, touch her, and well… Van was King now.He had to look afterthe well being of his country.

Hitomi wanted to fall down crying and just lay on the dirt.It wouldn't be that bad – laying on the dirt.After all, what could be worse than this?

"Nothing?" she half answered, half questioned herself."Oh, what am I supossed to do?" Hitomi needed someone there at that moment to comfort her; tell her everything would turn out fine and that, maybe, this was all for the better.She wanted Yukari there to answer her questions. Hitomi continued walking as she spoke out loud to herself, "I can't go back, can I?What do I do if I do go back?Congratualate them?Act like I don't care?Avoid him?"

"Ugh, this is so typical of you, Hitomi," she imagined Yukari scolding her."First Allen with Millerna (a princess) and now Van and this princess… you're on a roll."Hitomi laughed inwardly at that thought… yeah, that's what Yukari would say, alright.

She continued walking for another while, not saying a word or thinking much about anything.She just had a desire to leave."Just until we find out what's going on…" she quoated out loud and imitated Van in an almost exasperated way as she threw a stick she had picked up back on the ground.She heard the stick break when it made contact with the ground._Strange… I didn't throw it that hard…_ she thought to herself as another stick snaped behind her.A small amount of adrenalin rushed through her body,making her spine tingle with fear.She spun around to see who it was after she heard a third crack.

The tingling feeling slowly left her.At first, she had only seen pale skin… and she resembled Dilandau a bit so it was only natural of her to think it might have been him."Serena?" she asked once she had been able to make out who it was from the shadows.

"Oh, sorry.I didn't mean to scare you,"Serena replied with all sincerety, yet, not expressing too much of it."What?Allen sent you away too?"Her teeth grinded at the thought of it.

"No.Not at all."Hitomi was a bit taken aback by that question, making there be a moment of silence between them.Still, Hitomi heard Serena all too loud and clear with the look she had on her face:so what are you doing here?"No, he didn't send me away," she replied again."I was bored. I don't like parades too much… or whatever's going on,"

"Oh,"Serena seemed to have believed Hitomi's excuse."Do you know what the parade's about, then?"Her tone of voice was curious.

"Na.Something about a princess or something… I woulnd't know,"Hitomi lied."Sure," Serena said, looking over her shoulder as she passed by Hitomi._She lies almost as bad as I do, _she thought.Dispite her thoughts though, Serena liked Hitomi, and her face showed that when she gaver her a smile.Her smile was returned as Hitomi caught up to her.

Having Serena there was a comfort, even if she hadn't told her about what was going on.It helped her take her mind off Van.For Serena it had been strange to talk like that with someone her age.Millerna was her friend, sure, but she was a married woman and couldn't exactly joke around as much… not to mention the fact that she was a princess and living in the capital of her country mostly everyone would be watching them.Sometimes it was a bore, but Hitomi was different.She was nice, and from the way she kept on saying, "In Earth, er, the Mystic Moon we…" it was obvious to Serena where Hitomi came from.It also explained why the moleman had rushed with such urgency to tell Allen of her arrival.

"So, why are you back in Gaea?" Serena asked.Hitomi replied with a shrug.

"I'm not sure… "Serena was kind of surprised… wasn't sure?

"When did you first come?"Serena hoped Hitomi wouldn't think she was stupid or inconsiderate for not remembering.

"Two years ago when Van brought me here."Hitomi chuckled at that, obviously not thinking of Serena as stupid or incosiderate. "It's not the first time he's done it either."Serena smiled at that remark and the way Hitomi said it.

"So, Van and you…?"She felt almost envious.King Van was good looking after all, and she had never known about those kind of feelings.What was it that she had heard the courtiers at the castle call it?Love?Crush?Serena knew nothing of that.Sure, she 'loved' her brother despite the way she felt about him at that moment, but there had to be something else.Something different about this kind of love…

Hitomi shrugged and looked away.Could love be all that bad?Maybe Hitomi didn't love Van?Still, she had to ask, "Do you love him?"

Hitomi looked sad, confused, maybe just uncertain, but definitely the thought of him disturbed her.Serena felt bad about bringing it up.It was none of her business and she didn't want her new friend (and a good one, not to mention trustworthy) upset.Serena was about to withdraw her question when Hitomi spoke up, "I do love him."

Serena could see Hitomi's eyes filling with tears.She put an arm around her friend's shoulders trying to provide comfort.She didn't know how much it was appreciated by Hitomi.Still, she wondered, could love be all that bad?She wouldn't know.

"Anyway," Hitomi cleared her throat."Do you have a special someone?"

_Yes_, Serena answered in her thoughts, _if a guy that lives in your head counts._"Na, going around in your pants, boots, and boyish shirts doesn't get you many courtiers," she quoted what she had once overheard a court lady say about her as she lifted a hand in a girlish manner to her chest.Hitomi laughed with Serena.What was it about her that made Serena so normal when she, herself, really wasn't.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Hitomi assured her."I mean, I'm _sure_ you've got a guy after you and all the other ones don't know what they're missing."Hitomi sounded so sure of herself.It almost convinced Serena that what she said could some how be true.

_Yeah, _the thought almost made her smile, _I talk to a guy in my dreams and can't remember almost 10 years of my life… big turn-on I am.__"It's amnesia,"_ she remembered Allen telling her._"You were so shaken up by the war that you had amnesia.It'll all come back to you someday."_Sure… two, five, eight years later?Never?

Serena's once smiling mouth changed to a frown and she began to take slower paces.Hitomi stopped and gave her a questioning look."Funny,"Serena said outloud to herself, "you'd think I'd at least remember a girl from the Mystic Moon."Hitomi was surpised.

"Remember?"Hitomi asked her.Maybe she hadn't heard Serena right.

Serena turned and looked at her."Yeah, remember… I mean, I did meet you when you first came to Gaea, right?Allen wouldn't have just stashed me some place and not taken me with him… so, we did meet… ?"

Hitomi lowered an eyebrow in wonder as she looked away.Hadn't Allen told her?"Hmm… kind of," Hitomi answered her."So," she changed the subject to the one they had been talking about first, "you don't have any guy in mind?-"

"No!"Serena's response was sudden.It surprised Hitomi, who said nothing._What_, Serena wondered, _did she mean by 'in mind?' _

They both continued their walk in silence for a while.All that could be heard was the soft breeze as the leaves brushed against each other.The air around them was starting to get thick though; heavy.The breeze was beginning to go the opposite way, bringing with it a stench that made Hitomi and Serena gag.They choked on it and coughed as they tried to run away from the smell.They ran, but the stench followed them.What is that?!Hitomi and Serena tripped on a log and stumbled down a ditch that they both could have sworn wasn't there before.They tumbled and cuts jabbed in causing pain.Especially for Hitomi who felt the wound on her neck slightly open.Serena's bare shoulders and hands were cut ,too and her right cheeck was also cut.They both came to a stop and the pain was still there yet not because of the cuts, but because of the impact of their fall… aparently, the ditch had an even steeper level to it.

Hitomi landed face down, chest first.Serena lay beside her all twisted up.Neither of them moved for a while.Hitomi began to close her hands in fists and felts something oozy in them… The stench was so bad now you could even pretend it wasn't there…It was awful.They both stood up at the same time and looked over towards where the stench came from.A dead body.

Two bodies, actually.One – if it weren't for how badly it was torn up – could be said to be a human.The other, was definitely a horse… torn in two.The human was a girl… that much u could tell… though her eyes were no more, her tongue had been wripped out – as if to not be able to tell, even in death, who had killed her – , and her skin was – for the most part – practically shaved off.Her stomach had been cut open (or torn open) and her intestines were green now.The horses own intestines surrounded her.Covering her in cuagulated blood.The stench was from both these bodies decomposing.

Hitomi's mind seemed to take over her consciousneess and treaks of light appeared all around her.She could see the girl kneeling on the ground and wrip two papers in half as an enormous shadow came down upon her in the black of night.She could see the life of this girl, maybe 3 years older than her, being taken.Hitomi was forced to watch in her visions how the girl was killed (more like slaughtered) by small creatures, although she knew it had been one, horrendous creature.She watched as the girl's soul was being pulled down to a pool of water so dark she knew it wasn't a good place.She knew it was a place where the girl would suffer and where her soul would never rest.Where her soul, which she just _felt_ was a good one, would be toyed around with… and it would be lost…

There was no sound in the forest… no movement.Only the smell of freshly cut wounds and the scent of decomposion and the scent of fear… and then there were screams of terror.

Horses began to neigh outside and he could hear soldiers mounting them with urgency.Van had told them to keep a look out for anythign strange happening incase his messenger showed up… but he didn't expect them to react that way. 

He had been showing Aliz around the castle.According to Leo, this was done in case they…Van just didn't want to think about it.He looked past her toward the window that looked outward toward the front gates. He wanted to see what all the commotion was about.Something was wrong.

He turned to Kioyi with a concerned look on his face.It was returned by a puzzled look and a shrug.Van sighed as if he were giving up and turned to Aliz who stared at him with a smile that seemed to be ordering him to continue their tour.He hesitated for a while about what he should: go see what's wrong or stay there with her.Curiosity got the better of him, though.

"Excuse me," he said."It seemsI must attend to something."He tried to sound as polite as possible, and maybe somewhere along that he threw in charm.Van turned toward the door and was ready to head outside when he caught a glimpse of Kioyi and Leo widening their eyes toward the princess for him to see."… a… and would u like to come with me?" he added while turning toward her, but he knew that Kioyi was expecting more."They… I… would like you to come."He felt like such a puppet.The second Aliz took to agree seemed like an eternity.She had meant it to be like that, too.

Van hadn't fully stepped outside the castle when he called to a soldier who was hurriedly mounting his horse while it had already begun to take strides."You there!" he called out.He felt bad for not calling him by name, but this wasn't the time to socialize.The soldier mounted his horse and stoped it in front of Van."What's going on?" Van asked the soldier as his horse trampled impatiently.

"The soldiers on the outside shift heard screams coming from the groves, Sire. Allen-sama has already headed toward there.He thinks it might be Lady Serena- "

"Master Van!"Merle yelled, dodging soldiers and ducking under running horses as she ran toward them."Master Van…" she panted."Hitomi… Hitomi's in the groves!"Surprise and worry fludded Van's expressions.He grabbed the horse another soldier was mounting."You," he ordered to the soldier he had first spoken to, "lead the way."Leo had already given orders for horses to be brought for the princess and the coucil, so when Van rode off they were right behind him.Especially Aliz.

Being a princess didn't mean she wasn't a curious person and of course, the question of what could upset a king that much aroused more than curiosity inside her.She brought her horse to a halt when they had apparently reached their destination.Her horse was winded – ofcourse it would be, Van was riding like a maniac and they all had no choice but to follow him.Watching Van jump off his horse and run toward the stangely dressed girl she had seen earlier was somewhat amuzing.It wasn't just a king running toward a damzel in distress… it was something else.

"A concubine?" she asked Leo who was beside her on his horse, also just watching.

"Something like that, yes, milady."She raised an eyebrow as she usually did when she had taken an interest in something._So_, she thought, _the King isn't exactly who he's said to be… good_.Her lips curled into a smile in hidden amusement as the thought of him not being 'unexperience' crawled up in her mind.It didn't bother her, though.After all, neither was she.

"Hitomi!" Van ran toward where she was with Allen and Serena.She was in obvious shock of something.He noticed she sat with her arms wrapped around her knees and her eyes opened widely staring into nothing.

"Van, she's alright."Allen assured him when he leaned down and put an arm on Hitomi's shoulder.As though it wasn't enough, Hitomi put her arms around him and hid her face in his chest.Surprised, he embraced her back.From where Aliz was it looked as if his embrace was an attempt to protect her.She couldn't help but feel a bit annoyed by that.

"Just one thing though," Allen pointed to where a group of soldiers were attempting to pull something out of a ditch.Van looked at Allen questioningly. "I'll explain later," Allen replied and began to walk away toward his horse.Serena decided to tag along behind him… even if he wasn't paying that much attention to her.But first, she leaned down to where Hitomi was embracing Van and tried to comfort her. 

"It's alright Hitomi,"Van heard Serena say before she walked away behind Allen.Serena's calmness was shocking, in a way.He knew Hitomi wasn't all that brave, but if compared to the rumours he had heard of her, Hitomi would come out having the bravery of 1000 men put together… with Serena, not being with Allen would terrorize her.So, he asked himself, _why is Hitomi so frightened?_

"Lord Van," Kioyi called toward him, "do you want me to bring your horse over?"Van felt Hitomi tremble in his arms when Kioyi asked that.He decided it would be better if Kioyi didn't. 

"No, thank you Kioyi.I'll ride the horse back later."Van and Hitomi were now standing, but her shaking didn't stop even when he said that.

"No…" he heard her whisper.He leaned his head down toward her to hear her better."No… no horses, please."

"Sire?" A soldier approached him, wondering if Van wanted his horse.

"Um… take my horse back.I won't be needing it; we'll be walking back."The soldier bowed and did as he was told.

Merle overheard what Van had said.Her eyes were filled with mischief… _he wants to be alone with her… _Her tail puffed up when she saw that no one was going back."Hey!He said he's walking back!"her statement didn't seem to affect anyone. "Hey! Allen! Start leaving, ok?You too Princess."Aliz couldn't help but give Merle a dirty look.

Van watched from where he was that everyone was leaving… Merle could do wonders, but maybe the stench that was coming from that ditch was the real reason of why they were leaving.He saw one of the soldiers who was taking what seemed to be the cause of that smell out of the ditch throw up by a tree.

"You ok to walk now?" he asked softly in Hitomi's ear after they were left alone.She replied with a nod before the two of them began heading back toward the castle.Hitomi seemed to fragile to Van at the moment.He wanted to hold her and make it alright… and maybe now, with no one around he would do just that.

· ´` ·.( ¸. · ´( ¸. ·* * ·. ¸)` ·. ¸). · ´` ·

Paruchi was now sitting on the old throne.Kuaru was down checking the destiny vibrator while he looked inside the destiny-predicting device.Everything had been going right, but now, it seemed, the shadow of the young king wasn't going down to the path they had chosen for him.A young sorcerer was looking into the self-fate alterator and he didn't look at ease.Paruchi returned his view into the destiny-predicting device to try and see what was going on.It seemed, in a way, that the mist above the unknown path was moving… something was happening.He wondered what it could be, but in this case, he wouldn't know for sure.All they knew for a fact was that the mist had to do with the girl from the Mystic Moon and her shadow was ever present…

"Paruchi-Sama," a sorcerer called toward him from the pulpit where 3 others were looking into the fate of the young king.

"Yes?"

"Something is happening…" he said with nervousness.Paruchi looked in to the destiny-predicting device once again and sighed with easiness.He didn't bother to get nervous or stressed anymore.All those emotions would not help in times when something went wrong.Paruchi already knew something was going to happen anyway.He also knew it would be something against their favour; he knew, that at this present moment the king was with the girl from the mystic moon and that it was why the mist was changing.

"Lord Kuaru!" he heard one of the soldiers who was incharge of looking at the machines call call."Something's wrong with the machines!"

- - End of Chapter 5 - -

¹: K, I'm calling it a 'horse' but the truth is I don't know what they call those animals they ride in Gaea… if u know please tell me! ^-^

k, I know: the chapter was long and the ending so-so, but hey!I tried!

Anyway, I'll try to finish up the 6th chapter REALLY soon and nag me about it if it's not up as soon as u want it to be.R/R PLEASE, it really helps and I'm open to any suggestions so feel free to speak up.

_Time Bomb_


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